Jigoku Shoujo: Rengoku Suna
by Felicity Dream
Summary: Madara messed up everything. But Naruto as Hell Girl decides to set things back and take things into her own hands, particularly taking the reigns of Konoha before it can descend into madness again. But first, before everyone can send everyone else to Hell, she'll drag a certain Sand family into the chaos. Sequel to Jigoku Shoujo: Eikyuu no Sonzai.
1. Bound Boy

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or even the idea of Jigoku Shoujo.  
Story: Madara managed to one up Jigoku Shoujo, but that doesn't mean Naruto will let him win. With Hell on her side, she's determined to make Akatsuki pay their dues a second time. And somehow, Gaara and the Sabaku clan get stuck in the middle of it all.  
Set as an AU.  
Spoilers: Hai, for both Jigoku Shoujo and Naruto.  
Warnings: Violence, language, etc.  
Pairings: I don't know. I don't really think it'll be the main part anyway.

**Jigoku Shoujo: Rengoku Suna  
**_Chapter One: Shibarareta Shounen (Bound Boy)_

Gaara glared at the offending person in his path, watching dispassionately as they scrambled away. He entered the library and looked around without any real interest. He decided to go straight to the back since it looked like no one was hanging around there and he would thankfully be left alone.

His footsteps echoed in this part of the library, where it was strangely dark and abandoned. No one was in this section, and he supposed from a scholarly point of view he couldn't understand why that was –with the abundance of books and scrolls that seemed to even predate the founding of ninja villages.

He frowned to himself and continued to look around in detached curiosity, finding a lone and dusty bookshelf completely in the back of the rather creepy section he'd found himself in, as long as the room he was in. It was against the wall, so he had no problem shifting the books and scrolls slightly aside and worry about books on the other side falling. A book at the end of the bookshelf fell off and made a loud thump on the floor.

Gaara moved quickly, sand shifting around his body restlessly as he gazed at it and the area around it suspiciously. He walked towards it cautiously, his footsteps echoing loudly in the empty section. He refrained from flinching.

Looking at the bound book, he bent down and grabbed it before catching sight of movement at the corner of his eye. He jerked upright and glared at the girl that was standing right where he had been, before he had gone after the book.

"Leave before I kill you," Gaara growled, warningly lifting his sand in the air.

She had creepy red eyes and long blonde hair that swayed, even though there was no wind in that area. The floral kimono she wore was beautiful, but there was something haunting about it…and for some reason, his eyes were seeing things –for there was no reason why his eyes should be seeing the ornate designs around the kimono moving just the slightest.

When she didn't leave, he rushed his sand at her. But there was no impact, for as soon as his sand cleared, she was gone and there was no sign of her.

"I shall ferry this vengeance to Hell."

Gaara couldn't help shivering, the words causing a chill to go through his body. The words had seemingly come out of nowhere, echoing in the section with no single direction to start. It had been a disembodied voice that he just knew belonged to that girl…

Turning to the book in his hands, he frowned and read the title.

_The Elder Tales._ No author. Nothing but the title and pages of handwritten writing. He flipped through it idly, skimming on some pages but not spending more than a few seconds at a time at each one. That is, until he landed on a page with a familiar picture.

It was of the girl he just saw, with the exact kimono. The chapter was _Rengoku Shoujo_.

_Rengoku Shoujo is contacted through Jigoku Ema. A wooden tablet can be found at the stroke of midnight, to all who wish for revenge and hate the one they want revenge upon. The person using Jigoku Ema writes the name of the person they want revenge upon on the back of the black tablet. The person whose name is on the tablet will be ferried to Hell by Rengoku Shoujo rowing them on a small boat on Hell's current._

_When first contacted, Rengoku Shoujo will appear and inform the person wanting revenge if they go through with the contract that they too will go to Hell, after their natural deaths. Once the client dies Rengoku Shoujo will come for them to complete the deal that was made._

The book dropped from his hands and landed on the floor, still opened to that chapter. He stared at it, shivering slightly.

…_you have hatred and a need for revenge. You must have a true grudge that will inevitably lead you down the path to Rengoku Shoujo and Hell…_

Unwillingly, curiosity gripped him and he started searching through the bookshelf for any mention of Rengoku Shoujo. There were some mentions of her, as well as seeming to go by a new name ("Jigoku Shoujo") but all were vague and little information was offered. It seemed like no one wanted to talk about her or mention anything other than something completely brief. No one wanted anything to do with her, unless it was a fleeting allusion or a passing remark that made the reference seem unimportant.

Scowling to himself, he slipped _The Elder Tales_ into his pouch and quietly made his way out of the library unnoticed, though he himself didn't notice the watchful gaze of Jigoku Shoujo at his back as he'd left that abandoned section.

The Capital of Wind was bursting with energy, and he walked his way through the streets keeping to himself, and glaring at anyone who dared to look his way. When he made it to the palace that the Wind Daimyo lived and that he and his family were temporarily staying in, he made his way to their rooms without any hassle.

Inside, he ignored his siblings and sat on a chair near the opened balcony, thinking about Rengoku Shoujo…or Jigoku Shoujo as she was now called.

What a strange story…and why had it come to his attention? It seemed she was real, or at least some idiot was playing a prank on him and cast an illusion to make it look like she was (if it was this, then that person will pay dearly once Gaara got his sand on him). But he was intrigued and he wanted to know more.

The trouble was, how was he going to get more information on her? Especially as it seemed that everyone and everything was reticent in providing anything about her.

His father trudged into the room and he made a minute glance towards him, before turning back to stare in contemplation outside. This was a mystery for some reason he needed to solve. He didn't understand it, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be settled until he had all the answers.

"An official meeting with the Wind Daimyo and the officials of the court will be held soon, and we will be required to attend," his father announced unemotionally.

"Hai, Otou-san," Temari answered for the rest of them, while Baki replied with a quiet nod.

Gaara barely paid attention, his mind still wrapped around Jigoku Shoujo.

"Behave, Gaara," his father quietly reminded him.

He nodded irritably, still staring outside.

At the meeting, with the officials boringly discussing things, he and his family quietly sat to the side and kept only part of their attention to the meeting. Politics of the court were not for them, though they had no choice but to at least pay some attention.

Gaara's eyes skimmed over the group, his gaze drawn to a quiet girl sitting next to the Wind Daimyo. She was withdrawn and looking down, though he could see that her eyes looked lifeless. Curiously, he watched her a moment longer, watching as she gripped something on her lap tightly.

She looked up, into his eyes, and for a moment there was a spark of anger before it died down. Her deadened gaze moved from the Wind Daimyo to the man on her other side, who was speaking quietly to the Lord of the Land.

And then her hand moved and he saw the black straw doll, his eyes widening and his body stiffening in shock. Her fingers moved to the scarlet string around the neck and pulled before he could open his mouth to speak.

Suddenly, the man who had been speaking disappeared and an uproar was caused. Everyone started shouting and jumping up in fright and shock, but his eyes stayed glued on the girl. She just sat there quietly, a sad and crazed smile on her face while her eyes stayed dead and focused on the table before her. The red string was held lightly between her fingers before dissipating.

The only other information he'd managed to come up with about Jigoku Shoujo had included a straw doll and a scarlet string…

"Gaara, we have to help settle things down," his sister hissed at him.

He grudgingly helped, though he kept glancing back at the girl, who still had yet to move. Many of the people there were sent to their rooms, and soon there was no one there but the girl who seemed to not notice anything.

"Hey you, go to your room," Kankuro barked at the girl, who seemed to not hear him.

Gaara cut in, needing to speak to her before she disappeared.

"You'll go to Hell, you know," he spoke quietly, startling his family and teacher. He had to know if she did what he thought she did.

She slowly moved to look at him, still no life in her eyes.

"What is Hell anyway?" she spoke without emotion. "What if it's just a place inside of us, and there's no escaping it?"

His family and Baki watched silently, observing without cutting in and ruining the questioning.

"Who was he?" Gaara asked.

"My father," she surprisingly answered. "He was supposed to be my father. And he carelessly gave me to our Lord. For that, I will never forgive him and hope he's suffering in Hell."

She and that man seemed so familiar now…

"What are you two talking about?" Kankuro cut in rudely, getting irritated about the vague conversation.

Gaara ignored him. "Did you use it then? Hell Correspondence. And used Jigoku Shoujo to send your father to Hell?"

She smiled at him, once again a sad and crazed smile, before pushing aside her kimono and revealing a black-flame crest mark on her chest.

"This is a symbol of the covenant I made with her. It is a mark that will remind me every day of the fate that awaits me at the end."

She got up and started walking away like a ghost, mindlessly moving away. They stared at her, still silent. Just when one of them was to speak and ask what was that all about, a woman's scream was heard and they rushed towards the direction of the scream, seeing one of the servers staring in horror over a balcony. They looked and saw the girl they'd just been speaking to, body broken and displayed in an awkward pose on the ground.

That caused a whole slew of new problems and that had to be settled. He ignored the looks the others were sending his way, completely focused on his thoughts.

When the same server who'd seen the girl jump was starting to be interrogated, he interjected with his own questions and continued to ignore the questioning glances sent his way.

"Have you heard of Jigoku Shoujo?" he asked aggressively, staring down the woman.

The woman, while intimidated, scoffed.

"It's just an urban legend. It's stupid really. And spread from the likes of Konoha," she added with ire in her voice.

"Tell me about her," he demanded.

She frowned, but with one glare from him, she shut her objections and reluctantly spoke about the myth.

"These days, there's a website you can access at midnight. If you hate someone so much and want revenge, you go to it and type in their name. Once you have, Jigoku Shoujo appears and gives you a straw doll with a red string. If you pull it, you can send that person to Hell. There's some consequences, but I don't know what it is."

"That girl, the one you saw jump. She had a straw doll during the meeting and pulled the string, and then that man next to her disappeared. Did you know she contacted Hell Correspondence?" Gaara sprung on them.

The woman's eyes widened, before she shook her head in denial.

"No, no that's not true. It's just a myth. There's no such thing as Hell Girl!" she was led away after, still denying Gaara's story.

"Gaara, what was that?" his father frowned at him.

"It was nothing," he answered defensively. "I…just heard about it and assumed, since I saw the girl. That was exactly what happened. That woman was probably right and it must've been a coincidence," he finished dismissively.

His father's frown deepened, but he didn't push the matter.

"The matter will be settled soon, answers or no answers. We'll be going back to Suna after."

Everyone muttered their agreement before going their separate ways, and Gaara shut himself up in his room, pulling out _The Elder Tales_ once more and rereading the page and gazing at the picture obsessively. That night, he got his bath ready before slipping into it.

He sighed to himself, reflecting on the day and once again thinking back to Jigoku Shoujo. A bluish, glowing butterfly fluttered into the room and he blinked in surprise as it floated closer before melting, the glowing particles landing into the water. He froze as, when the particles touched upon the water, Jigoku Shoujo's face reflected back at him, staring with red eyes that were unblinking.

The lights turned off and Gaara stayed frozen as she emerged from the water, as naked as he, and came close to him –embracing him intimately, an action unfamiliar to him.

"It's cold," she murmured, her voice soft and haunting.

The dim room turned an eerie red that matched her eyes, and the water turned a glowing cyan. She gently fell back and pulled him with her, dragging him under the water's surface. The water no longer was held in a small bath, but encompassed a large mass and echoed an ocean. Her long hair floated around her, looking alive, and her gaze was intensely focused on him. Illusionary flowers bloomed around them and she tenderly gripped his face, tilting it as she kissed him.

Surprised and shocked, his eyes fluttered close and then an energy pulsed through him. When he opened his eyes again, the lights were back on and he was alone, no sign of Jigoku Shoujo anywhere. Unnoticed to him, a cyan-colored butterfly tattoo appeared on his back, briefly glowing before dimming.

He stared at the water with wide eyes, wondering if he had a waking dream and if he was going as mad as everyone thought he was.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi hummed to himself, flipping a page of his precious book as he tapped his fingers on the table. It was almost time for the jounin meeting in which they were to get students, and he had set his alarm to two hours after it.

Feeling someone staring at him, he looked up to see the Kyuubi jinchuuriki gazing at him with icy blue eyes. Swallowing uncomfortably, he ignored that feeling and waved cheerily, eye closing. She walked away without further action, leaving him confused.

Still, he shrugged to himself, even as he inwardly felt a nagging sensation that was calling him to remember.

He walked away from the Memorial Stone, not noticing the cyan-glowing butterfly following him home. His hand twitched and he felt the urge to rub it erratically against his slanted hitai-ate.

Meanwhile, at the same time, Uchiha Sasuke was staring off into space. Something was incredibly wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on what. Class was going on around him and yet he couldn't concentrate, though thankfully it was a free period. His eyes drifted towards the blonde dobe of the class, frowning in thought. Suddenly, she turned and stared back at him, blue eyes icy and unblinking. He hid his shiver.

"Uchiha Sasuke," her soft voice called out. "Come with me," and she left the room without a backwards glance, unheeding of the angry and ridiculing glares of the girls in the class, who thought she was stupid and full of herself to think that the Great Uchiha Sasuke would actually follow her or heed her call.

Strangely enough, he did. It surprised and made many of the girls there jealous, but they were not paid attention to.

Haruno Sakura felt agitated and her hands clenched and unclenched by her side rapidly. Her reaction was not of that caused by the scene and the fading fangirl tendencies in her, but more because of her unhappiness of being left behind and strangely because she wasn't joining them right then. She didn't understand why, but only that there was something in her calling out and saying she had to be there with them.

All of them felt the confusing but clear agitation inside of them, each one screaming about their need for…_something_. Or rather someone.

In another classroom, Naruto began meditating and Sasuke hesitantly joined her, confused why she would drag him there for that.

But this time around, she would not play the dead last.

Sakura, in turn, would focus her attention towards Naruto and Sasuke in her head. Surprisingly enough, to her, she wasn't being jealous or thinking anything of a romantic nature –only of thoughts that revolved around why wasn't she included and obsessing over the tiny feeling hiding inside of her that was begging for her to understand what it was.

Kakashi would also be outside of his normal routine, turning up early to the jounin meeting and giving everyone there nearly a heart attack, especially the Sandaime Hokage. He already knew he was going to fail this team…something in him was whispering that the next cycle of teams to come would be his fated team…

Though the memories of her was gone from them, the instinct to continue to be loyal was still ingrained in each of them, and Naruto already knew that. Elsewhere, in many different places, many people were remembering that instinct, even if they didn't understand why.

And Gaara was, ironically enough, one of them.

Having returned to Suna, he'd holed himself up in his room and ignored the others, steadfastly gazing at the book he'd stolen. He wasn't reading the pages again, or staring at the picture…just holding onto it and gazing at it.

Dinner that night had been mostly quiet.

"So Gaara, are you still interested in that Jigoku Shoujo stuff? 'Cause I've gone around asking about it," his sister directed towards him.

He looked up abruptly and stared at her, and she nervously got the hint. Kankuro placed his chin on his hand in boredom, reluctantly listening and their father continued eating, seemingly ignoring them.

"Anyway, it's like that lady said. There's a website you can go to at midnight for revenge, and all that. Except they say that when you die, your soul will also go to Hell. Those who go through with it get some kind of mark on their chest. A, uh, black-flame crest. Like…that girl. I couldn't really get much else. No one really wanted to talk about it," Temari shrugged. "They all got spooked. They all said it originated from Konoha though. Which is hard to believe. They're all a bunch of tree-huggers and goody-two shoes, to be obsessed with revenge and 'Hell Sendings.'"

Gaara hnned in response, glaring at his plate and silently going back to eating, thinking back to what she'd said.

After that, nothing more was to be said.

The next day, Baki came over and picked up his brother and sister for training. He wondered if the two resented him for being the reason that they were being held back from forming a team, because for some reason his father had steadfastly chosen the three of them to form one, even though he hadn't graduated yet. His father didn't even allow the two to form a team with a temporary member so they could go out to missions (which was even more odd given the fact that the village needed a surplus of missions and his father was usually determined to make as many of his ninja go out and do missions and bring in money for their impoverished village).

The two couldn't possibly be happy with being forced to stay in the village and just train.

His thoughts revolved around that for that morning, as he traveled to the Academy to reluctantly attend class. In the back of his mind, some of his thoughts were uneasy speculations of whether or not that was cause enough for either of his siblings to contemplate sending him to Hell.

In class, he sat in the back and kept to himself, fine with everyone ignoring him and he ignoring everyone else. There were occasional glances towards him, but nothing enough to garner his attention.

He kept thinking back to the usual looks he got. Although they were usually unhappy and even angry glances, there was oddly no real hate, now that he thought about it. Hate was a really strong emotion…and yet no one had really looked at him like that. Fear, yes. They certainly feared him. But hate? That was strangely a no, when he actually examined the looks.

He wondered at that. Hadn't he done enough to make them hate him? What was it that kept them all from actually hating him? Why was he not as hated as he had thought he was?

Perhaps there was something more to hate than he thought. A grudge and injustice particular to one person that made it personal and nursed a bitterness and resentment that one couldn't forget and forgive. It was the level of how personal it got, how one judged the wrong done to them that forged a lasting emotion such as hatred.

Gaara could admit that he knew a bit of hatred, especially that fateful night with Yashamaru…but grudgingly and as strange a thought it was, hate was lacking in return to him. And he couldn't understand that…

"Quiet, everyone. It's time to begin class," the teacher entered and went straight to business.

Tange was kind of strict, but he was alright. Gaara didn't mind him too much and personally minded his own business when it came to the teacher. Tange did have a rather rough reputation with the students, but it wasn't like they were there to mess around anyway. They were supposed to be learning.

The teacher did have a habit of carrying around a notebook that he said he took note of each students' wrongdoing and would write it in their personal records. That was a lie. Gaara had once formed a Third Eye behind the teacher and saw nothing but doodles when the man actually took time to jot something down, when he wasn't just mimicking it and leaving pages blank. But the students believed it and the method was being used to keep students in line and motivated to learn, so Gaara didn't mention the truth.

There was suddenly a commotion and he looked up to see what was happening. Two girls had been giggling over a picture, Sari and Matsuri he remembered their names, which Tange had caught and was 'writing' them up in that little notebook of his. One other girl stood up, Hiraishi Itsuko, and revealed she'd drawn the picture and practically demanded the teacher erase what he wrote about Sari and Matsuri.

Gaara held in a snort. Even if there actually was anything for Tange to erase, she shouldn't be so demanding about it. She was the student and subordinate. She had no right to be acting that way.

He saw the expression on her face twist into something ugly, and he had a bad feeling about all this. He hid his uneasiness and turned his attention back to the teacher, though he couldn't help glancing at that girl every once and awhile.

Dinner that night was once again quiet. Temari and Kankuro provided chatter by reporting to their father about their progress in training, slightly bragging about certain difficult techniques each had managed to at least become proficient in.

"How about you, Gaara? How was school?" he noted his father's voice sounded oddly subdued.

He eyed his father, seeing the lines of exhaustion and slightly slumped form –things that he had a feeling he usually missed in favor of being angry and uncaring about everyone around him.

"Moderately tolerable," Gaara answered, surprising the others that he had and that his tone and answer had been neutral. "Tange-sensei was as strict as always, and one of the students predictably got upset. Of course, she had drawn an unfavorable picture of him, so it's no wonder she'd drawn his ire."

Temari hmphed. "Serves her right. I'd always liked Tange-sensei back when I was in the Academy, and I don't get why so many students dislike him so much. He's a good teacher."

Kankuro made a rude sound loudly, drawing a glare from his sister. "Says you. I hated the guy. I wouldn't be so surprised if someone used that Hell Correspondence thing to send that guy to Hell."

The two started semi-loudly arguing, but Gaara had become withdrawn again, with the mention of Jigoku Tsuushin. His eyes averted to his plate and he focused on his food.

"He is a good teacher," Gaara agreed under his breath, saying it to himself.

He looked back up, intending for it to be only a second, to see that his siblings were still going at it but his father had been staring at him. His father offered a rare smile, though it was strained, before also going back to his food and focusing on it.

But Gaara had stiffened.

Horrifically, his father's eyes had nearly looked as lifeless as that girl's eyes from the palace.

When had that happened? Why hadn't he _noticed_ that before?

Gaara rushed through his food, excusing himself and then hurrying to hide in his room. The next day in class seemed to be normal, nothing out of the ordinary happening, though he saw that that girl still seemed to be angry at Tange.

Dinner again seemed to be much the same, but he was relieved to hear no more talk of Jigoku Shoujo or her website, even though he had been the one desperately seeking information about her. After noting the same things again about his father, he'd avoided looking at him for the rest of the meal, unable to stomach the sight.

But night seemed to be when things were just waiting to be sprung on him.

He had been staring up at the moon, when his vision seemingly blacked out and then he was blurrily watching Hiraishi Itsuko staring angrily into the screen of her computer, accessing the infamous Jigoku Tsuushin. She typed in Tange's name and he saw Jigoku Shoujo appear, as well as the place melting into somewhere else with red skies.

"_I am Enma Ai."_

_There was a boy next to Hell Girl, wearing a dark blue shirt and white shorts and had an oddly cut hairstyle._

_Enma Ai nodded to the boy. "Sasuke."_

_This 'Sasuke' nodded back to her and took out a pendant from under his shirt, kissing it and suddenly transforming into a dark blue straw doll._

"_Take this. __If you truly wish to eliminate your antagonist, you must pull the red string. You will enter into a covenant with me and he will be ferried immediately to Hell. However, once I have delivered the revenge, I must have you make restitution to me. When one person is cursed, two graves are dug. Your soul will also fall into Hell, forever wandering in pain and suffering, never to know and taste the joys and pleasures of Heaven. That is…after your death."_

"_Hell? Why do I have to go to Hell too?!" Itsuko screamed._

_She appeared back into her room, straw doll on the floor in front of her._

"_And now…it is up to you," Ai's voice echoed._

Gaara blinked back into wakefulness, wondering if that had been a dream. But how could that be when he wasn't able to sleep? He couldn't sleep. He wasn't supposed to sleep. There was just no way…but perhaps he had a waking dream? Like he thought he had that time when he'd had taken a bath…

He had to be having waking dreams…it had to all be just dreams…

Ai appeared before him, ever red eyes seeming to peer inside his soul.

"I am inside of you," she informed him solemnly, disappearing after.

Gaara flinched and frantically looked around, trying to see where she had gone. That night, he spent curled up on the roof, eyes clenched closed and trying to blank out his mind.

Once more in the Academy, Gaara kept a watchful eye on that girl. He'd heard the rumors going around that day, something about her having tried to get Tange into trouble by trying to create blackmail pictures that she'd planned to do with forging incriminating pictures of the teacher with her in the more disordered district in the village. Tange had informed her parents instead, who had caught her in the act.

He could guess that was when she'd contacted Jigoku Tsuushin.

She started rudely and loudly playing her mp3 player, disregarding everyone in the class and disrupting the lesson. Tange frowned and started towards her, snatching the player and earphones away, throwing it to the floor.

"Pick it up," she sneered. "If it's broken, you'll have to pay for it."

Gaara's uneasiness came back to him.

Tange actually did pick it up, but he pocketed it instead.

"What are you doing?" she seethed.

"I'm confiscating it. You probably listen to this at home while studying, don't you? That's why you can't concentrate."

Tange turned on his heel and went back to the front as he started writing in his notebook, missing Itsuko's face again twisting into an ugly look of hate.

What happened later on seemed to blur in Gaara's mind. He saw in his head as that girl stayed behind and searched frantically for that stupid music player, before being caught by Tange, who lied about throwing the thing away and starting to write on that damned notebook. She started screaming at him, accusing him of bullying her and causing three students to fail (a wrong rumor, because Gaara knew that truthfully those three idiots were thrown out for mishandling sharp weapons and causing a serious injury to another student).

She took out the straw doll and Tange laughed, telling her she watched too much anime.

And then the string was pulled and Gaara was feeling intense pain in his back. He was moving through some sort of portal, dropping to his hands and knees and crawling for a second, before he felt even more pain and he arched back, feeling something emerge from his back.

He could barely see some sort of cocoon forming behind him, pulsing slightly as he screamed in pain. His body somehow seemed to shatter and the cocoon remained, and then he was watching in horrified fascination as Enma Ai hatched from it, emerging and then straightening herself coolly.

He then vaguely remembered Tange being tortured, though lightly, and then Ai coming at the end to finish the job and send him to Hell. He had a glimpse of dark waters, a boat, and an ominous Gate.

When he came to again, he was slumped against the wall next to the door of the classroom. He staggered inside, seeing Itsuko staring at the place where Tange had disappeared from, still holding the red string. She looked at him and gave him a wavering smile.

"It was…it was for all of us," she tried to explain.

He said nothing. Sari ran into the room at that moment, holding up a familiar mp3 player.

"There you are, Itsuko! I've been looking all over for you. Tange-sensei told me to give this back…" she trailed off, noticing the tense atmosphere.

Gaara stared blankly at them all, while Itsuko swayed unsteadily, staring at the music player in horror and eyes tearing up. They all turned their gazes towards the notebook harmlessly on the floor, showing nothing but a blank page. Wind lightly blew through the room, flipping pages and showing nothing but more blank pages and some with simply cartoonistic drawings.

There had never been anything written down.

Started 8/18/11 –Completed 8/21/11

**A/n: And that's the first chapter of the second part of my fem!Naruto as Hell Girl! If you haven't seen Jigoku Shoujo: Mitsuganae, the third season of Hell Girl is heavily focused on in the first part of the story (kind of like a rewrite), so there's huge spoilers for the show if you haven't seen it. Otherwise, enjoy! And please review!**


	2. Decius23 and Omake!

**Generally, I hate doing these, but...**

**To Decius23:**

_**This was your review (not including the other):**__ "Sigh why don't you people want to learn? This story's main character is Naruko Uzumaki and not Naruto Uzumaki. Then why the hell is the fic listed under the male version?_

_When i search for Naruto U. stories than i want NaruTo and not NaruKo!"_

**You're so incorrect, it's not funny. Is there an ACTUAL character in Naruto that is really named Naruko? No. In every fandom, any character that's been genderbent has never had a female name set for them, and their original name has always been used. NaruKO is also just a FAN-made name for his female self, and is a generally accepted usage. My reasoning has always been for Naruto, if I'm spelling it with "To" it's going under Naruto U. I have another fic with using the Naruko spelling, hence why that one would be under NaruKO.**

**You can read, can't you? The summary of both fics clearly implies a female Naruto, so you don't need to even read it so it's pointless for you to even review when it's supposedly not up your alley. The review section isn't meant to be used for whining, and I'm only not deleting yours because it BARELY constitutes as constructive criticism by pointing out the usage of tagging correctly. And you could be a lot politer, you know. I'm not stupid -I know how to use my tags correctly. You obviously need to reevaluate yourself. Get over it.**

* * *

**And so this isn't considered just an author's note chapter, which isn't allowed, I offer a huge preview of the next chapter to the readers so that this is like a sort of chapter XD:**

**EDIT: 9/24:13: So since the new chapter is up, the preview is obsolete and will now be replaced with an omake!**

_**Omake!**_

Orochimaru was irritated as hell. Where was everyone?! He was stuck here, by himself, and doing errands for the Lord of Hell.

He hated it! There was too much paperwork!

Kami damn it, his fingers were starting to ache, and he had paper cuts all over his poor hands.

"You know, if you had been chosen as Hokage before, you would have dealt with almost as much paperwork," the Lord of Hell's amused voice taunted him.

"To Hell with that!" Orochimaru started angrily, aggravated and had just lost it, throwing the paperwork he had been working on into the air in frustration.

The paper rained down on him and to the table and floor innocently.

He glared at it.

Innocent, his ass. Those things were secret hellions. Demons in disguise!

"I don't ever want to be Hokage! What a stupid desire! I can't believe my idiot self!" Orochimaru screamed. "I didn't work this much, when I made myself Otokage!"

"That's because you were just starting out. Once your village got on a roll...and if you'd lived after that debacle with the Invasion and everything...I must inform you, that you would have been _swamped_ with paperwork."

"NOOOOOOO!"

The Lord of Hell chuckled in amusement and watched his temporary minion have a nervous breakdown.

"Oh, and picked that stuff up. I hate clutter."

Orochimaru started cursing up a storm, but bent down and began to painstakingly pick up every piece of paper with his injured fingers and woe begone hands, completely and utterly pissed off.

He hated his undead life.

Started 9/24/13 - Completed 9/24/13


	3. The Window on an Early Afternoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or even the idea of Jigoku Shoujo.  
Story: Madara managed to one up Jigoku Shoujo, but that doesn't mean Naruto will let him win. With Hell on her side, she's determined to make Akatsuki pay their dues a second time. And somehow, Gaara and the Sabaku clan get stuck in the middle of it all.  
Set as an AU.  
Spoilers: Hai, for both Jigoku Shoujo and Naruto.  
Warnings: Violence, language, etc.  
Pairings: I don't know. I don't really think it'll be the main part anyway.

**Jigoku Shoujo: Rengoku Suna  
**_Chapter Two: Hirusagari no Mado (The Window on an Early Afternoon)_

He trudged home after that. He went passed his family and locked himself in his room, curling up on his bed and staring off to the side emotionlessly.

Why? Why had it ended like this?

Tange was in Hell and that girl would be too when she died. And all because she didn't like him and was too hotheaded to think straight and 'look underneath the underneath' like Leaf-nins like to say.

It made him wonder why _he_ hadn't been sent to Hell yet.

He wasn't bothered through the night, though he was surprised when his father checked in on him in the late hours. Even though he knew Gaara wasn't asleep, he didn't say anything, merely watched awhile before quietly closing the door and leaving him be.

When the next morning came, he had breakfast with his family, wondering if they knew about Tange yet. After the usual separation, Gaara made his way to the Academy, looking like he wanted to do anything but that. But he frowned as he walked past one store, where he could dimly hear some yelling.

Not looking into it, he hurried up and made it to the Academy early. There, he saw that girl's two friends, Matsuri and Sari, looking worried and talking in low voices to each other.

"Itsuko dropped out? But why?"

"I don't know. She just suddenly did. Tange-sensei hasn't been seen since yesterday either. I wonder if the two are related?"

Gaara inwardly frowned, though he acknowledged it as a good move on her part. Being a ninja was dangerous and if she became one, she could die an early death and be sent to Hell quicker than being a civilian. Still, she'd probably had dropped out after finding out Tange was innocent and couldn't handle that fact.

Who would? Who would want to know that they'd condemn their own soul for nothing? And that they had wrongly damned someone else while they were at it.

In class, everyone was quietly murmuring about the rumors, wondering if Tange was really gone and where had he disappeared off to. Gaara paid no attention to any of them, keeping to himself like always. But he was surprised when his father walked in, missing the usual robes of the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-sama!" the class greeted, sounding surprised, and all standing up in respect.

"Sit down," his father ordered, making everyone even more surprised as he went to stand behind the teacher's desk. "Because of such short notice, I will be taking over the class until a suitable substitute can be found."

And soon enough, class was underway and Gaara didn't know if he should be surprised or vaguely amused that his classmates were so enthused to have his father as their teacher, even if temporary.

When lunch came around, his father asked him to stay behind. Gaara waited for his father to finish up.

"Was there something you needed, Otou-san?"

His father sighed. "Let's have lunch together. We can go to one of the small courtyards set aside in the bazaar."

Gaara was once again surprised, but didn't show it. He nodded his assent and let his father lead the way, where they sat down on one of the imported stone benches in an empty courtyard. He nibbled on one of the salty gizzards his father had gotten him, surprised he had remembered it was one of Gaara's favorites.

"Do you know where Tange-sensei is, Otou-san?" he hesitantly asked.

His father shrugged, something he usually never did.

"No one knows anything. He just disappeared. His things are still at his place, so there's no evidence that he defected and I can't mark him as a missing-nin. But no one knows what happened to him. I'll have to put him as MIA at this rate."

Gaara looked away, continuing to nibble on his food uncomfortably.

"He's missing," Gaara murmured in agreement. _'Lost and wandering around in Hell.'_

His father glanced at him, but said nothing. Gaara didn't say anything else about it either.

"Was there…did you ever hear anything about Jigoku Shoujo when you were younger?" Gaara asked a moment later.

His father blinked, caught off guard. "No, not really. Maybe some vague things…I think she was called Rengoku Shoujo back then…and something about using the newspaper instead of a website…"

Gaara flinched at the mention of her old name, remembering that book he'd taken.

"I didn't really pay much attention about that stuff back then. I didn't really have a reason to hate anything or anyone. I had Karura then…" his father muttered, and he had a feeling that he wasn't meant to hear any of that.

He averted his eyes again, nibbling once more.

"You're a good teacher," Gaara mentioned, changing the subject.

His father uncharacteristically snorted. "I hate lecturing. It isn't any better than when I was younger and I had to listen to them."

"But you're still a good teacher," Gaara replied, in turn uncharacteristically smiling.

"I'll buy us some ice cream. We can share it on the way back to the Academy," his father suddenly seemed to be in a really good mood, enthusiastically moving away and locating a stand selling some.

Gaara waited patiently, his eyes moving around the place idly. He froze, seeing Enma Ai watching him from next to a tree, blonde hair swaying with the slight breeze and red eyes eerily focused on him. He flinched and closed his eyes, counting to ten, before opening them and relieved to see she was gone.

"Here, Gaara. Let's start heading back now," his father reappeared next to him, snapping apart two popsicles from each other and holding one out to him.

'"H-hai, Otou-san," Gaara actually fumbled to get it from him, standing up and following after his father. _'Why are you inside me, Enma Ai? Why did you choose __**me**__?'_

Class finished without another mishap and the two traveled home comfortably in silence. During dinner, the comfortable atmosphere was disrupted when Temari spoke.

"I wonder where Tange-sensei disappeared off to. You know, Gaara, I heard some of the rumors saying someone sent him to Hell, using Jigoku Tsuushin."

Gaara hid his upset look, averting his eyes and stiffening up at the mention of Hell Correspondence.

"You're so stupid, Temari. It's just some dumb legend and you're an idiot for believing in it," Kankuro sneered.

Temari glared at him, "Shut up! Besides, I don't believe in it. Gaara seemed interested in it, so I'm just mentioning anything I find out about it to him."

"Enough," their father interrupted, frowning at the two. "Quit fighting and finish your food. No more talk of this Hell Correspondence or Hell Girl. We're having dinner together right now."

Gaara was disappointed that the kinder and more alive father he'd been with before was replaced back with the strict, deadened one that was with them every day. It bothered him more now that he'd actually noticed his father's state, and even more now that he'd seen the difference.

"Gomen, Otou-san. Thank you for the food," Gaara said and went back to eating, unmindful of the disbelieving stares of his siblings and the confused (and yet slightly happy) one of his father's.

As everyone started to go to sleep, Gaara walked around in boredom, running across his father messing around with an old music box he'd never seen before.

"Otou-san?" he questioned.

His father hesitated before lifting up the box and showing it to him.

"It belonged to your mother. I usually keep it in here and let it play on occasion, but it's run out of batteries again. I'll need to get some soon…" his father frowned at it, taking out the bottom and the old batteries in there.

Gaara took note of them. His father usually never had time to do anything these days, piled with work all the time. He'd probably never get those batteries or even a chance to, and he'll probably end up putting it off until he forgot completely. Even when it seemed the music box was important to him…

"Goodnight then, Otou-san," he murmured and left his father to stare at the music box, lost in memories.

The next day, he headed to the Academy again. He passed by that store again, though this time there was no yelling. It was eerily quiet somehow. He noted that it was a store catering to electronics and thought he'd come at lunch to pick up those batteries. And when lunchtime came, he went straight to the store, seeing the cashier woman talking to someone uneasily on the phone. She didn't look happy talking to whoever it was.

Politely, Gaara quietly went behind a shelf and browsed while she finished. Once she'd hung up, he glimpsed the look of relief on her face before she replaced it with a kind look and headed over to him. He also noted that she was walking precariously, as if she was hurt somewhere.

"Hello there, I'm Mitsuko. Is there anything I can help you with?" she smiled kindly at him.

He was surprised that people could actually smile at him, despite knowing who he was and the sort of monster he was. But still, this woman and even that girl, Itsuko, had smiled at him unheeding to that fact…

"I need batteries for an old music box," he quietly requested. "They're this small and about this shape."

After a little while, they finally found the right ones and she rung him up, giving the total. He frowned to himself when he noticed that he was one ryo short.

"Anou, are you short, Gaara-kun?" Mitsuko smiled kindly at him again.

His eyes widened when he heard her actually know his name, and address it so kindly and again with a kind smile.

"It's okay. Since you are a first-time customer, I don't think it would be too much trouble giving you a discount," she offered.

Surprised by her continuing kindness, he nodded graciously and accepted the batteries from her. A bell rung from the front and he turned to see a man unhappily watching them, the usual glare Gaara expected to see on the man's face.

But it wasn't directed at him.

It was ominously directed to the kind woman beside him, who looked back with a wavering smile and frightened eyes. Gaara uneasily walked away from her and passed the man, hiding his shiver as he walked out the store and slipped into a nearby alley that had a perfect view of the store. He halfway doubled over and wrapped his arms around himself, trying to control his breathing and calm his nerves. Something bad was going to happen…

He turned to the direction of the Academy, but couldn't find it in him to go. The rising uneasiness in him made him turn back to the store and he saw that man drag the woman into the truck parked in front of the store, driving off. Hesitating briefly, Gaara made up his mind and went after one of the few people who was so kind to him.

Stealthily following, he was surprised when they ended up in front of a warehouse. Mitsuko was dragged in and Gaara saw an open window to the side of the building, low to the ground. Luckily for him, it had a perfect view of the two, who were actually right in front of the window and clear to be seen. Unluckily, what happened next wasn't such a good scene.

That man roughly took her hands and bound them tight with rope that hung from the roof. He reeled it up and the rope around her wrists dragged her upright, forcing her to nearly be on her tiptoes. From then, the man roughly grabbed at her and even hit her sometimes, yelling at her and even wrongly accusing her of flirting with 'that demon kid.'

Gaara was horrified to know that man was her husband, and wasn't even bothered at all by being called a demon. He could hear it, even from where he was, that it wasn't even said in anger or hate towards him. Just a name that came out of his lips, solely as an address and really nothing to do or care about Gaara. No, that man's hatred and anger wasn't for him, it was directed towards her…kind and sweet Mitsuko, who had smiled and helped him…

All this time she asked for forgiveness, and it only made the man angrier because she was making noise. And even when she denied flirting with Gaara, the man refused to accept it and continued to take out his rage on her.

"The next time he comes in, refuse him," the man hissed, smacking her across the face one last time.

"H-hai," she murmured dully.

Gaara rushed away in horror and ran home. He immediately locked himself in his room, sitting on his bed and curling into a ball, wrapping his arms around his knees tightly. His father was the one who came home first, the afternoon fading quickly. The door to his room opened and his father slipped inside (he didn't even question how his father could do that, even when he'd locked the door), his stern look turning into worry. It was so strange to see it on his father's face at all, especially directed at him, that Gaara uncurled himself quickly and nearly tossed himself into his father's arms.

"G-Gaara? What's wrong? This isn't like you at all."

'_I want to be a monster again. I want to not care and see anyone else's pain, but mine. I want to be the monster, so I don't have to see that there are real monsters all around me.'_

But Gaara didn't say that. Instead, he wept into his father's arms and wished inside that things were back to the way before, before that stupid book and he had gotten a front seat to everyone else's pain and what injustice really was.

"Gaara, the Academy told me that you never returned after lunch. Do you want to tell me why?" it was such an odd moment, as if his father was a normal parent, and he was so thrown off by that fact that he hesitantly just handed over the until-then-forgotten batteries.

His father quietly took them, gazing at them with an unfathomable gaze.

"I got…I got the batteries for you," Gaara muttered.

"Arigato, Gaara. Still, why didn't you return after?" his father's voice had become gentle.

It was so nice to hear it. Gaara almost didn't notice when he'd started to rub his face against his father's chest affectionately or when his father had started to soothingly thread his hand through Gaara's hair.

"I saw something," Gaara whispered, reluctantly giving an answer.

"What did you see, Gaara?" his father prodded.

But Gaara shook his head vehemently, turning to bury his face into his father's chest once more.

"Was it bad, Gaara?"

Hesitantly, Gaara nodded.

His father sighed and sat him on his bed, taking a seat next to him.

"Gaara, as ninja, there are things we'll see that aren't right. But they're going to happen and we'll need to steel ourselves and try to move pass it. You, yourself, have already seen so much and experienced too much."

Even though it was true, Gaara was inwardly happy to hear the slightly hidden tone of regret in his father's voice. To slowly be learning that his father really did care for him, helped him a little to deal with Jigoku Shoujo and whatever she wanted from him.

"But they're not ninja," Gaara was suddenly reminded. "They're just regular people…they're supposed to be normal people, who shouldn't know anything about pain and hurt. Especially her…she was…so kind…"

"Gaara…do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head again, choosing to lie down and blankly stare at his wall. His father paused, then sighed as he was about to get up and leave. Gaara's hand shot out and grabbed onto his father's wrist, before hesitantly moving to hold his hand. His father didn't move for a second and he feared he'd upset his father, but his father sat back down and grabbed his hand more securely.

They stayed that way until evening, where his father persuaded him to get up and have dinner with the rest of the family. Temari stared at them in surprise as they emerged from the room together, but Kankuro just yawned and trailed into the kitchen to slump in a chair.

Dinner was, as usual, quiet. Temari was also the cause of disruption again.

"Anou, Gaara. I heard more stuff about Jigoku Shoujo, if you want to hear about it," she hesitantly offered, still remembering yesterday.

Gaara was silent for a second before nodding his assent.

"Apparently, her real name is Enma Ai. And she usually has three assistants, an old guy, another younger one with one eye showing, and a pretty lady dressed up as a geisha."

Kankuro snorted, but surprisingly offered his own information.

"At midnight, if you really hate this person and want revenge, you go to a website called Jigoku Tsuushin. The site will come up as a black screen with a white box in the middle. The words 'We will exact your revenge' are on top of the white box, where you type in the person's name. An hourglass will appear and turn, fizzling out. Then you wait for her to reject or accept your case."

"Eh? Kankuro, I thought you thought it was stupid. Why do you have so much information?" Temari glared.

"Maa, I mentioned my dumb sister and…Gaara," Kankuro looked passed him coolly, "were looking into it to some friends. They told me that stuff."

"I'm not dumb!" Temari screeched, but Gaara felt an inward sense of foreboding that said that wasn't what made her so angry.

"Apologize to your sister, Kankuro. And enough of this. Let's just eat," their father frowned, looking at them admonishingly.

Dinner finished in more silence than even Gaara was used to. When he moved around his home in the dark, he saw his father messing around with the music box again, replacing the batteries.

"Ah, Gaara. Do you want to come in and listen?" his father smiled tiredly at him.

"Hai." He sat down by his father's feet, leaning against his legs comfortably. If he could, he would probably fall asleep like that. The nameless tune played, soft and haunting, while his father quietly worked on last minute work that he had to bring home with him.

Gaara hummed the tune a little, unaware that he was slowly drifting off into another vision. His vision blurred and he was watching in horror as Mitsuko stared at the ominous website, hands twitching above the keyboard. Then she moved away and laid her head on her folded arms, website still glaring on the screen as she gazed off with lifeless eyes.

He was seeing too many people with those kinds of eyes lately.

"Ji…goku…Shoujo," Gaara murmured dazedly, still in a trance.

His father looked at him in worry, inwardly feeling a sense of dread growing inside of him at those words.

* * *

"Naruto," Sakura stopped her.

Naruto gazed at her coolly, waiting for the other girl to say what she needed to say.

"Naru –Ojou –anou, I –" Sakura turned frustrated, unable to get out what she was feeling. "Gomen, it's nothing. See you later, Naruto."

Just when she turned to leave, Naruto called out to her. The blonde girl nodded at her and gestured for her to follow. And without question, she did so, her feet moving on their own to follow after the stoic girl.

Back in Suna, Gaara was getting ready for another day. He left his house, hesitating passed the store. His eyes moved to the sign, seeing the couples' names.

"So…his name is Seiji, huh," Gaara's eyes darkened in anger. His anger deflated and he went inside, searching out the kind woman he'd met. She sat at the cashier quietly, rubbing gently at her wrists. He could see from where he hovered near the door that they'd scarred and were severely hurt, and he winced as he thought maybe that meant she had been tied up far longer than what he'd seen.

"Mitsuko-san," he greeted.

She looked up in surprise, greeting him back with a smile.

"Ohayo, Gaara-kun. Did you need something else today?"

'_Aren't you supposed to turn me away?'_ he wanted to ask, worried she was going to get in trouble again because of him and wondering why she wasn't turning him away like she'd told her husband she would, especially if it was going to get her hurt.

"Iie," Gaara shook his head uncomfortably. "I…I was wondering if I could come here for lunch. I don't…have anywhere else to go then."

Her smile faltered, but then came back even stronger.

"That's fine, Gaara-kun. And call me Mitsuko-chan, ne? I don't mind and you're such a nice child, not at all what everyone keeps saying! Ah, gomen, gomen. I didn't mean anything by that," she held up her hands and laughed lightly.

"It's fine…Mitsuko-chan. I'll see you at lunch, ha?" Gaara gave a small smile and slightly waved goodbye.

At school, things seemed to be going on as ́normal and the new teacher was okay. When it was lunchtime, Gaara was getting ready to leave and head over to the electronics store, when he heard someone scream to the side of the room. His head snapped over and he saw Matsuri holding a crudely made straw doll, which she dropped away from herself in horror. Two boys in their group laughed at the look on her face, clambering over and joking.

"Ne, ne, Matsuri-chan! If you hate someone, just tell us and we'll give you a straw doll like this one, for free! Because we're the Hell Boys club!"

Matsuri slapped one in anger and ran out of the room crying. Sari looked ticked off and slapped their heads with the broom she had been using to help clean up.

"Baka! Baka, baka, baka! How about you two try dying this once?" she screamed at them.

Gaara's lips twitched upwards, but his face returned to normal and he headed out. In the store, after making sure her husband wasn't around, he went in and was surprised to see Mitsuko waiting for him at the cashier. There was a paper towel next to the register and a jar of peanut butter and another for jelly.

"I'll make you a PB&J sandwich for lunch, if you'd like, Gaara-kun?" she smiled happily at him. "It's not much, but I hope you'll like it."

"Aa, I've never had one. I'm sure it will taste good, Mitsuko-chan," he replied quietly.

But she beamed at him because of his response and he was inwardly happy that he was able to cheer her up.

He sat next to her on the pillow she put out for him, sitting with his legs crossed. She started to prepare two sandwiches for him, spreading grape jelly on one end and peanut butter on the other. The phone rang ominously and her movements stopped. Her bangs hid her eyes, so he couldn't see what she was feeling at that moment.

The phone rang again and she put down the knife and bread. She hesitated another second before picking it up, with less courage and power than she had yesterday.

"Konnichiwa?"

"Mitsuko. Has there been any customers?"

"No…not yet. It's probably just slow right now…"

"Hn. I'll call again later."

He abruptly hung up and Gaara stayed quiet.

"Gomen, Gaara-kun. You shouldn't have to hear that," Mitsuko apologized quietly, not looking at him.

Gaara finished off his first sandwich.

"Mitsuko-chan…do you think I am a monster?"

She glanced at him in surprise.

"Eh, Gaara-kun? No, why would you say that? You're such a sweet and polite child. Of course you're not, and I don't think you are either."

"But so many people call me that," Gaara trailed off unhappily, gazing at his hands.

Mitsuko was quiet and he thought that she'd finally conceded to him, but her next words shocked him.

"It's not real, you know? They call you 'monster,' but no one really means it. And they fear you because you do have so much power, but…it's not the same as actually coming face to face to you and feeling the same after being with you. They know and say what they know, because it's all that they know. And some truth that comes from your actions comes in and makes the stories a little more real. It didn't start out this way, did you know that, Gaara-kun?

"I think…when you look at the older people and see them staring at you…along with the anger, it's more bitterness. After the war, it was clear that we had suffered much and it would take a lot to recover. Kazekage-sama, your father, did all he could and because of him we'd managed to come out of the war and through these years as cleanly as we could. And you were supposed to be this symbol of hope, what everyone had been counting on to make sure that Suna was able to finally heal completely from its wounds. When you'd failed to live up to so many expectations, many of us were angry and bitter about it, and selfishly turned it on you.

"You suffered because the older generation's selfishness, and because we couldn't handle having our high expectations shattered and the harsh life Suna endured and continued to endure from the time we entered the war. And I admit…I was one of those people. My parents had suffered from the war and grew poor during it, until they'd died near the end. I, also, was selfish about it –more concerned about my pain, the deaths of my parents, and that you weren't going to be the redeeming hope that would make up for all of it. Gomen, Gaara-kun. I know better now…"

Gaara looked down at his second sandwich, not sure if he should look at her.

"But the children my age…"

Mitsuko laughed lightly, patting his head.

"Children become scared and form opinions so easily at that age. And pain is one of those things that are hard to forget. Hurt once and children are afraid of being in pain again, so they become afraid and do what they can to avoid being hurt. Children really don't know any better, Gaara-kun. And as you and the others grew older, you didn't really do much to dispel those fears, ne? In fact, you added to that image, silly Gaara-kun."

Her patting turned to petting and he was reminded of his father's soft caresses yesterday, closing his eyes peacefully and enjoying the feeling.

"Ne, Gaara-kun. You'll be late to class, if you don't leave now."

Gaara blinked, dazedly reminded that it was lunchtime. Mitsuko smiled at him and waved him off, and he reluctantly went back to school. When school was over, he didn't feel like going back home. He felt horrible and instinctively knew something bad was going to happen. Instead of heading home, he went to that warehouse he remembered that horrible man had dragged Mitsuko to yesterday.

Through the little opening, he could see it happening again.

"Why didn't you pick up the phone more quickly?" he screamed at her.

"I-I told you I had been doing laundry," she answered weakly.

"Liar! You were seducing that demon kid, weren't you?"

"No, no, no. Please, no more!"

Gaara _knew_ that man wouldn't have known he had been there today. He had extensively used all the ninja training he'd learned to look out for that man, because he hadn't wanted to get Mitsuko in trouble again. He had erased _every_ evidence that had been left behind that could incriminate him being in the store.

That meant that man was just delusional and wouldn't believe anything but his own delusions about reality.

Mitsuko yelped in pain and Seiji left for a moment.

"Gaara-kun, you shouldn't worry too much about being a monster," she murmured to herself in a cracked voice. "Not when there are real monsters all around you."

Gaara couldn't take anymore and fled in blind terror, more tears he thought he didn't have any more, coming down his face quickly. He rushed into his room, nearly bowling his father over.

"Gaara, where have you been? You missed dinner and you're extremely late!" but Gaara's ears seemed to be closed and he could hear nothing but the words Mitsuko had brokenly addressed to an absent him, words he'd echoed in his head the day before.

"I _want_ to be a monster, Otou-san. It was so much easier back then!"

Awkward and confused, his father stood still before grabbing him and leading him to the kitchen.

"You need to eat dinner, Gaara," his father murmured.

"Can I have a PB&J sandwich?" he asked dully.

His father looked surprised, but started taking out bread, the jars of peanut butter and jelly, and a knife. His father started out awkward, but managed to finish three of them.

"You're lucky," his father told him. "It's one of the few things I can manage to make. Otherwise, I'm hopeless at food. I was just going to heat up leftovers."

His father took one and took a bite. Gaara grabbed one and started nibbling.

"So…you want to tell me what's going on?"

For a second, Gaara debated turning tail and running, but his father wasn't Kazekage for nothing.

"I have…a friend," Gaara started out. He hid his wince, though he knew his father probably caught it. After all, Gaara didn't really have friends (until recently…sort of…). His father didn't show anything of his disbelief, so he was glad his father was…playing along.

"He has a friend that he likes very much. Not like that," he frowned at the look on his father's face. "He just…cares for her a lot. But she has a husband. He's…cruel to her," Gaara started to work up steam. "He's horrible! He tortures her in this warehouse, hurts her and makes her cry. And he's always calling, like he's waiting to catch her doing something wrong. Like he's just waiting for one step out of line. I don –he doesn't know what to do, Otou-san. He wants to help her, but he doesn't know how."

His father quietly finished off his sandwich, looking like he was trying to think of the best way to put what he was going to say.

"Does your…friend know she hates her husband?"

Gaara impulsively slammed a fist onto the table, regretting it after when he saw his father raised one eyebrow and not look reprimanding at all. He was sure by then that his father was just as sure Gaara was talking about himself.

"Of course she does! How can she not? He's hurting her!"

His father took a deep breath, expelling it unhappily.

"Gaara, I don't really want to talk about those kinds of relationships with you, but…sometimes, even when being abused, that person still loves the other with all their heart. It hurts, not just physically, but inwardly. Outwardly, time lets things heal…but inside, that person is always wondering what went wrong, what did he/she do wrong, when did things change and why can't they go back to being happy again?

"They're married, right? There was a chance that they had been happy together once, and memories like that stay with a person. That means they loved each other once and there are probably still lingering feelings inside. Even when it hurts, one can't just forget or easily get rid of those feelings," his father patiently explained.

"Then what should I do? What should…my friend do?" Gaara asked miserably.

His father patted his hand reassuringly. "Even if she still loves him, that kind of relationship isn't okay. But it has to be up to her. She has to have the strength, will, and want to pull away from him, even if she loves him after everything. That's why, you have to leave the choice to her on what she should choose to do. No matter what, she has to be the one to decide whether or not she can leave him."

Seeing the still unhappy look on his son's face, Sabaku no Nagi sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Even if you can't do anything and directly solve the problem yourself, Gaara…that doesn't mean you can't offer to help. Sometimes…people in those situations need a little nudge or an offer of help, or any kind of help at all, to be able to help themselves. I am Kazekage, and I would never wish harm amongst my people…even when they've caused harm to me or to those I care for," his father quietly finished, looking away from him as he squeezed Gaara's hand slightly.

"Otou-san," Gaara murmured, recognizing the allusion to his own situation.

"I understand," Nagi murmured as well. "But whatever you decide must wait until tomorrow, hai? Go to bed now, Gaara. I will see you tomorrow."

Gaara nodded and hesitantly left his father behind, glancing back once to see his father staring at the empty plate.

But before he could completely leave the room, he was having another vision, seeing Mitsuko in front of the computer again. This time, she typed in her husband's name and the place with blood-red skies appeared again. This time, instead of the boy next to Ai, it was a girl. She had reddish hair, not as dark as his father's but not as bright as his or the famed Akasuna no Sasori's. It was kind of…candy apple.

"_Sakura," Enma Ai murmured._

_The girl dressed in the geisha outfit, flipped her sash and became a red straw doll._

"Gaara!"

"_Take this."_

_Mitsuko tiredly grabbed the doll, her wrists still slightly bleeding from the beating from earlier._

'_No, Mitsuko-chan. Don't take it!'_

"_If you truly wish to eliminate your antagonist, you must pull the red string. You will enter into a covenant with me and he will be ferried immediately to Hell. However, once I have delivered the revenge, I must have you make restitution to me. When one person is cursed, two graves are dug. Your soul will also fall into Hell, forever wandering in pain and suffering, never to know and taste the joys and pleasures of Heaven. That is…after your death."_

_Mitsuko stayed quiet, still staring at the doll as if she hadn't heard Jigoku Shoujo's words._

_She was returned to her room, still staring in contemplation at the straw doll._

"The rest…is up to you now," Gaara said softly, out of it and not realizing he had, though he was starting to freak out as he realized he'd echoed Enma Ai's words himself.

"Gaara?"

He blinked and looked up to realize he was in his father's arms on the floor, with his father looking back at him in worry.

"I-it's nothing," Gaara muttered, moving away and fleeing to his room.

Nagi stared at his back in frustration and mounting worry.

* * *

"Ne, why is Ai-sama inside that boy, Sasori-san?" Uchiha Itachi frowned to himself in barely hidden confusion.

"I'm not sure," Akasuna no Sasori murmured, gazing at his old home blankly.

"Bad memories?" Itachi asked hesitantly.

"Old memories," Sasori pursed his lips. "But Ai-sama is here and memories don't mean anything, especially when she's done so much to relieve me of them. Iie, we will set up station here and be grateful that we managed to temporarily become partners for now."

"Hai…later on, we'll have to go back to partnering with Kisame and Deidara, but for now Madara isn't suspicious."

"We'll have to plan much more carefully this time around," Sasori hmmed. "And as for why Ai-sama is inside Nagi-sempai's youngest…I'm sure we'll find out in time."

As they started to go over their beginning plans, Gaara was hesitating outside the door of the electronics store. Steeling himself, he slipped inside and immediately noted the red cheek and the bandaged wrists. Mitsuko's expression looked like she'd lost the will to live.

"Ohayo, Gaara-kun. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the Academy now? If you don't go soon, you'll be late," she tried to act normal.

Gaara hid how upset he was.

"Mitsuko-chan…" he tried to tell her what he wanted to say, but couldn't find the words.

"Ah, Gaara-kun, did something happen at school? Or maybe the villagers said something again? Is that why you're skipping? I know it hurts, but you shouldn't worry. One of these days, they'll all know better –"

"Mitsuko-chan! Please leave him! I don't want him hurting you anymore!"

She stilled and smiled sadly, gazing at the register.

"Anou, Gaara…did you skip school just to come here and tell me that? You…really are so sweet, Gaara. But…"

"My father is Kazekage. He'll help you," Gaara pleaded, grabbing her hands gently so as to not jostle her wrists. "You can even stay at my place. The Kazekage won't mind, he'll even take care of you himself. The both of us will make sure you won't get hurt and help you out of this. Onegai, Mitsuko-chan! Please leave him and come with me! Don't use Jigoku Shoujo!"

Mitsuko stilled again before looking up at him, looking grateful and sorrowfully happy at him.

"Gaara-kun…arigato. But I have to do this."

"No! I'll kill him! If you want, I'll kill him for you! You don't deserve to go to Hell, Mitsuko-chan!" Gaara offered.

"You're such a sweet boy, Gaara-kun," she murmured.

"Mitsuko-chan…"

She shook her head. "Iie. I need to do this. I need to be the one to do this, Gaara-kun. It has to be me or else I'll never be free. I need to be the one to get rid of him or else I'll stay this weak person, and I'll never move on and be free of him."

When his father was talking about letting her decide and letting her be the one to do this, he was sure his father hadn't meant like this…not with Jigoku Shoujo.

The phone rang and they both stared at it. In shock, it was let ringing and before she could finally grab it, it stopped.

"You must leave now, Gaara-kun. Go to school," she said stoically.

"But –"

"Please, Gaara. He'll be here soon."

He winced and turned to leave, before hesitating and giving her a quick hug.

"Good luck, Mitsuko-chan."

And then he ran away and rushed out of the store, heading to his father's office instead of going to the Academy. He made it to his father's elderly secretary, who smiled at him. He was taken aback by yet another person smiling at him, and wondered if she was another person who had been kind to him and he hadn't noticed.

"Haruka-san, I need to see my father," and he went passed her without another word, except an apologetic glance, and hurried through the Kazekage's door.

His father was scowling, marking something on a piece of paper, He looked agitated and not really in the mood to be interrupted, but Gaara wasn't really in the mood to care. So he understood that he'd startled his father by barging in, more so when he slammed the door and marched straight to his father. He didn't answer his father when he asked him why he wasn't at the Academy or what was going on. Instead, he crawled onto his father's lap and hid his face in the folds of his father's robes. He was too old and too big to be crawling onto his father's lap and seeking comfort, but he didn't care right then.

Why was it like this? Why do innocent people get sent to Hell? That man deserved the punishment, but not Mitsuko…

Why didn't she just let him kill her husband?

His father was still trying to get him to talk and when he was about to mutter something, pain lanced through his body and he stiffened up. He started to see Mitsuko crying out, shoved into a shelf and making it fall, her face already red from a hard punch. And then Seiji was pulling her into the air and holding her up by her skull, putting pressure on it and squeezing like he was trying to crush her skull.

"You whore! I saw him leave here just now! You _are_ seducing him, aren't you?" he screamed at her.

"Sei –Seiji," she gasped out.

She took the red straw doll out of her pocket and the scarlet string pulled. She collapsed onto the ground as Seiji disappeared.

It was the same as the first time. In his mind, he could see himself moving through a portal, crawling in pain, and a cocoon bursting from his back and forming behind him. His body disappeared and Enma Ai hatched from the cocoon. She straightened herself up and turned to leave him behind. But before she left to collect the newest soul, she turned to him to say one last thing.

"Who says you're the monster, Gaara?"

Started 8/21/11 –Completed 8/22/11

**A/n: Hope everyone enjoyed the long chapter, and the glimpses of Naruto in Konoha, and Itachi and Sasori! Hope I didn't disturb anyone too much :) Please leave a review (another ten, yeah?)!**

To Guest: Glad to keep writing! As for giving you the creeps, I hope this chapter did too!


	4. Beloved Gaara

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or even the idea of Jigoku Shoujo.  
Story: Madara managed to one up Jigoku Shoujo, but that doesn't mean Naruto will let him win. With Hell on her side, she's determined to make Akatsuki pay their dues a second time. And somehow, Gaara and the Sabaku clan get stuck in the middle of it all.  
Set as an AU.  
Spoilers: Hai, for both Jigoku Shoujo and Naruto.  
Warnings: Violence, language, etc.  
Pairings: I don't know. I don't really think it'll be the main part anyway.

**Jigoku Shoujo: Rengoku Suna  
**_Chapter Three: Itoshi no Gaara-chan (Beloved Gaara)_

Gaara breathed in slowly. What was with these visions? Were they just visions? Just what was all that? It was like he had been watching it happen from someone else's eyes. No…it was more like an out of body experience or like someone was in control of his body and he just watched. But to send someone to Hell…he had watched as Enma Ai took care of that man –the one he had watched screaming at, torturing poor Mitsuko. He was ever angry until the end, before being swallowed into the depths of Hell.

And yet…When he saw the man being brutally tortured, he watched impassively. He wasn't horrified this time because he hated that man and thought he deserved it. The electric plugs being shoved into the man, the electricity the man so prized, was just suiting to be turned against him and cause him pain.

He couldn't help the wince from the plug shoved in the man's anus though.

The man deserved it and Mitsuko was in the right…but to have to watch it…the experiences weren't things he could just forget…especially when he knew someone as kind as Mitsuko would have to go to Hell when she died as well…

Unknown to him though, while he was watching the event through Enma Ai's eyes, in the real world with his body, his father was busy panicking and holding onto him. He wasn't sure if he should drag his son to the hospital or hold on and wait for whatever was happening to pass.

Gaara's body was feverish, extremely hot to the touch and slightly sweating. There was an odd glow to his back, and when Nagi moved his son's shirt he saw the cyan-glowing butterfly tattoo he was sure hadn't been there before.

Gaara wasn't the type to go out and get tattoos, despite what was said and thought of about the red 'Ai' mark on his forehead. In truth, it was a scar Gaara formed himself. Nagi winced, remembering it, but he focused back to the present.

His youngest wasn't a rebellious brat or disloyal cretin, despite the many words to the contrary. Gaara was obstinate, unsocial, and at worse murderous…but his son kept to himself, listened to him, and unconsciously tried to please him and everyone else. So something was going on, and it had to have something to do with that Jigoku Shoujo business. His son would not be as obsessive about it otherwise.

Suddenly, Gaara's body started to spasm and he held on tightly, trying to keep Gaara still and not accidentally hurt himself with his jerky movements.

"I shall…ferry…this vengeance…to Hell," Gaara murmured dazedly, head flopped backwards over Nagi's arm, face vacant.

Gaara didn't pass out or fall asleep. But for some reason he stayed in that trance, no longer hot but still slightly sweating. Still panicked, Nagi grabbed onto Gaara and tossed his son's arms and legs around his neck and waist respectively, wrapping his own arms around Gaara's back to support him. Laying Gaara's head against his shoulder, he kept his hand on it to keep it there, starting to rush out.

"Kazekage-sama!" his secretary stalled him.

He stopped in irritation.

"What is it, Haruka-san? I'm in a hurry," he let loose a glare, immediately regretting it afterwards. It wasn't like she knew anything or meant any harm.

"When one person is cursed, two graves are dug," she said solemnly, confusing him and causing him to feel that dread again, though he didn't know why.

"Ah, hai, Haruka-san," Nagi just answered, before rushing out again.

He made it home, hurriedly putting Gaara on his bed. He ran around the house, gathering water into a bowl and grabbing a small towel. He wet the towel before wetting down Gaara, wetting the towel one more time before folding it and placing it on his son's head. Frowning, he took a step back and reran the recent events in his head.

There was Gaara now, after strangely barging into his office…Gaara last night, after coming home late, first with that strange talk about a woman that was being abused by her husband and that Gaara wanted to help and then the strange trance afterwards…then the night before that was the first trance he witnessed along with Gaara having acted strange the whole day, missing school for the rest of the day and having gotten batteries for him…batteries…

While there were other incidents before that and around now, incidents he uneasily connected to this Jigoku Shoujo business for some reason, this particular grievance with Gaara had started with the batteries…batteries that Gaara had gotten and had become so upset that he missed school after it. And then that had led to some business about that woman and her husband, he was sure, since Gaara had never mentioned or acted like that about someone until afterwards.

He glanced at his son and reluctantly made the decision. Outside his home, he scanned the streets. He was looking for an electronics store near to home and on the way to the Academy. Gaara would have spotted it on his way, and would go there. He found it almost immediately, with it being actually very close by to home. Speeding his way there, he entered it cautiously. He kept his shock inward, seeing the utter mess in there.

Two shelves were thrown to the ground, items scattered on the floor. There were other things all over, broken glasses and just a whole mess inside the store. In the middle of it, a pretty woman gazed at her hands, quiet and unmoving. He winced, seeing the bandaged wrists and the red face, knowing this was the woman Gaara had spoken of so vehemently.

"Hello?"

Her head shot up, her glazed eyes awakening and widening as she saw him.

"K-Kazekage-sama! I'm so sorry for the mess! I –"

He held up a hand, stopping her. He strode closer, offering a hand, and pulled her up.

"It's alright…I…Gaara had told me about this and came to me earlier distressed –"

"Oh! Gomen, Kazekage-sama. I hadn't meant to upset Gaara-kun about this too much. Please, assure him that everything's okay now," she reassured him quickly.

"Is it? Is it really okay?" he asked quietly, startling her.

She blinked in surprise, before solemnly nodding.

"Yes."

"Your husband then? I'm taking a guess and saying that Gaara offered you my help and I don't mind. I _can_ help you, if you need it. Please, just ask so and Gaara and I will make sure your husband stays away and gets what he deserves."

She smiled sadly at him.

"You don't have to worry about him. He's…gone. I've made sure of it."

Something about that put a chill through him.

"Jigoku Shoujo?" he suddenly asked, uncertain why he had.

She didn't answer, but the pained look in her eyes…accompanied by determination and sorrow…they said it all.

His hands tentatively moved to her blouse, unbuttoning the first few buttons shakily, and then pushing it aside slightly to reveal the expected flame-crest mark.

"Gaara has been thinking about it…about her…a lot lately. It seems to be plaguing him for some reason. He knew, didn't he?"

"Hai, Kazekage-sama," her voice was pained. "I'm sorry for his pain, and to somehow be a part of it. He knew, asked me not to go through with it this morning. I told him I had to…there was no other way for me. Even if I accepted his offer of letting him kill Seiji for me, I would never be free of my husband's hold if I hadn't done something myself."

Nagi nodded slowly, still staring at the mark. His hands fell away from the blouse, letting it fall back into place and hide the mark from view.

"I hope he feels better," she said, somehow knowing that Gaara was unwell then. "Please tell him that I again think he's such a kind and polite boy…so sweet to others…"

He hid his surprise at her words, having not known that anyone in that village could say, much less genuinely think that of his son. Pleased and happy, he gave her a small smile before leaving her behind, making a note to send over an available ninja to come over and help her with the mess.

Back with Gaara, he was upset to see his son in the same state. In a fury, he ripped through his son's room, desperate to find anything that could tell him what was going on. It was after he'd rummaged through his son's desk that he'd found something…a strange and old book.

"_The Elder Tales_," he noted the title with a frown, also catching the lack of an author or anything that could identify the book further. He managed to find the publishing date, eyes widening at seeing it was over 400 years old. He skimmed through it, finding two pages that seemed to be the most recently and the most looked at.

_Rengoku Shoujo_

Hands trembling, he started to read the short passage, glancing at the picture beside it in wonderment. For such a harbinger of death…she was really beautiful. Especially in a haunting way…

"O-Otou-san?" Gaara's voice sounded weak, something he was not used to hearing coming from him.

"Gaara…please tell me what's going on," it was no longer a question, but a quiet demand.

Gaara winced and shook his head, looking at his father with upset eyes.

"Otou-san, please don't ask anymore. Don't look into it…or she'll start to look at you too," Gaara whispered.

This was not his son. His son who was hateful and vengeful and refused the company or liking of others, even if Nagi wished this was not so…this hurt, scared and miserable boy (miserable in a different way than before) couldn't possibly be Gaara.

Would it be horrible of him to say he preferred this more vulnerable and caring child than the boy Gaara had been before?

Nagi didn't promise anything or made any hints towards a permanent reassurance, but he nodded and Gaara relaxed the slightest bit.

"Yamaoka-san wanted to make sure you were alright and to reassure you she was okay," he said instead.

Gaara looked at him in confusion. "Who?"

"The woman from the electronics store. That is her family name…or marriage name. It's on the outside of the store, along with her…husband's name. I checked in on her after setting you on your bed…and she wanted to tell you again that you were a polite, kind, and sweet boy."

"Yamaoka, huh? I'm glad Mitsuko-chan is okay," Gaara's eyes glazed over as he talked lowly to himself.

Nagi was surprised at the address that Gaara had called the woman. He hadn't known that Gaara had cared about her so much or was close enough to call her by her first name, or even add a fond attachment.

"Gaara…will you be okay?" he threaded his hand through his son's red locks soothingly, having noted that Gaara seemed to like it the last time.

"…Hai, Otou-san. I'm just…tired…" Gaara's eyes were drooping close worryingly and Nagi panicked. He started to shake his son, but it was too late and he'd already fallen asleep. He backed away and had immediately readied his Gold Dust to prepare for the onslaught of Shukaku…but there was nothing.

Gaara continued to sleep on.

He watched his son's sleeping form with worried and cautious eyes, but nothing seemed to change. In confusion, he stayed where he was for awhile before debating on further action. He unwillingly left his son there, hurrying to his office. He paused at his secretary, opening his mouth to say something, before changing his mind and running into his office. He slammed the door shut and ignored his paperwork, instead rummaging frantically in the old works of the past Kazekage, trying to see if there was any mention of Rengoku Shoujo…or Jigoku Shoujo as she's now called. Finding nothing, he decided to call it quits there and start looking elsewhere.

There was a knock on his door and he stopped what he was doing, tiredly looking up at the door.

"Yes?"

Haruka peeked her head through the doorway.

"Anou…Kazekage-sama? Is there something I can help you with?"

Nagi frowned and was about to say 'no' when he remembered again what she'd said to him before he'd hauled Gaara out of there. Instead of hesitating like he had coming back to his office, he decided it couldn't hurt talking to her.

"Haruka-san, do you know how the legend of Jigoku Shoujo goes? Or Rengoku Shoujo, as I remember her back before I'd become Kazekage…"

She hesitated before stepping into the office and closing the door behind her. He raised his eyebrows at the need for such privacy, but said nothing because of the grave look on her face.

"Back when you were just a jounin…when Karura-san was still alive…there was a legend of an ad that appeared at midnight to those who have been wronged and who hated that person so much, and who desperately wanted revenge, even at the cost of their soul. 'We will deliver vengeance, on your behalf' is what it said back then. The address to Hell, supposedly, would be underneath it. You were to write the name of your tormentor on a piece of paper, seal it in an envelope…and then drop it into a mailbox. Rengoku Shoujo would then appear and give you a straw doll and a choice on that path you would choose to take."

Nagi nodded, bits of that having been heard before and some of it he was just recalling now, remembering old gossipers in his youth.

"Did…was there anyone you know who had used it?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him grimly.

"Yes…and you knew him too."

He winced, but didn't ask further. He didn't have the heart to find out who it was.

"Haruka-san, please clear my schedule for the day. There is something I need to look into," he inhaled slowly, closing his eyes briefly.

"Gomen, Kazekage-sama. It might've been presumptuous of me, but I had already done so when you'd left earlier with Gaara-san."

Though surprised, he didn't make a big fuss over it. Just nodded and went on.

"Then I'll be leaving you, Haruka-san. I will see you tomorrow."

He strode off, determinedly heading towards Suna's library. He had an area set up privately for him in the back before he started scouring through the entire library for anything related or even just mentioning Jigoku Shoujo. He had a feeling that there wouldn't be anything directly connecting to her in there, and the best he was going to get were mentions. But it was better than nothing.

Meanwhile, as he obsessively ran through the books and scrolls, Gaara was in his mindscape…somewhere he'd never gone to before. He looked around, seeing a vast land full of sand. It looked like the desert outside of Suna, only there was an ongoing sandstorm in his head.

"So…the prodigal son awakens to the truths," a soft voice murmured in a cold tone.

He looked around and saw a broken, golden cage. Inside was a man, in plain brown monk clothing. He had a youthful, if cold, face, sandy hair that was put into a short ponytail, and brown wraps around his arms and some loosely around his neck. There was a gold _Shakujou_ staff in his hand, topped with a metal finial with two sections, each with three rings. Shiny black rosary beads were wrapped around the hand holding onto the _Shakujou_, the man himself sitting haphazardly on the sandy ground and half leaning on the staff.

"Who are you?" Gaara asked uneasily, already cautious of being possessed with Jigoku Shoujo.

The man let a ghost of a smirk flitter across his mouth before it went back to a stone-like visage. He was cold, like Enma Ai…only she had no emotions while this man was subtly hiding some darkness and cruelty. Enma Ai was cool and dispassionate, but he was icy anger –the same type of anger she _was_ capable of though.

"I am your 'mother'. I am your sand. I am the reason for your madness and the cause of your bloodlust. I am the demon inside, the real monster the world sees and knows about. Though…I suppose not the monster _she_ was alluding to this morning, ne gaki? No…she meant much deeper than that. Of humans…of greed, of envy, of hatred…the three forces that cycle and never end in humankind. People all around you that can be monsters…"

"Shukaku," Gaara muttered, eying the demon warily.

"In the flesh," a mad smile crossed his face before disappearing, just like before. "Why don't you come a little closer, gaki?"

Gaara sneered. "I don't think so."

Shukaku snorted. "I can't do anything. My control over you has recently been diminished. Can't you tell? You're even sleeping right now."

The red-head's eyes widened, though he looked at the demon in distrust. Shukaku huffed and merely tapped his staff against the broken bars of the cage. A purple barrier lit up, along with various _ofuda_ wrapped around the bars and placed across them and the barrier. Oddly enough, there were cherry vines wrapped around the bars as well.

"Cherries are her favorite," Shukaku noted in a distant voice, looking up at the barrier, where the top held a mass of cherry bushes.

"…I didn't think you'd like or respect Jigoku Shoujo, like it sounds you do from your voice. Is this her doing?" Gaara glanced at the newly made barrier.

The demon was quiet, still gazing upwards at the writhing cherry bushes. A cherry fell in front of him and he slowly collected it, idly turning it around and around in his fingers, before biting into it and savoring the taste.

"She's not older than me, you know…or the others. We came first, before her. Even older than her…she is still more powerful. But more importantly, what I wanted to say more…is by the time she came around, we had already absorbed and imitated the vices of humans. We liked to take on human form, go around seducing and stealing…we liked sex, money, alcohol. We had fun in battle, though bloodlust did not consume us until later on.

"And then Enma Ai appeared, with that sad look in her eyes, empty but sad…and a blank face like a porcelain doll…so beautiful even in death, even as a messenger of death. In the kimono crafted from Hell, it was her duty to ferry souls forevermore. It's punishment, truthfully. And the rest of us…we wanted to help, even if a little bit. So we tried to absorb the hatred of humans…the malice…and the completely negative forces that made up and truly drove human beings.

"You see, gaki…we, tailed beasts, were not always so full of hatred and anger. We were just masses of chakra once, given a little more life once we spent time with humans. But it was when we'd made the choice to try to help Oujo-sama, to fully absorb all those things that humans lived horribly on, that we became the demons we are today. We had tried, for her sake and so she would not suffer in her duty, thinking that if we could take all those harmful emotions from humans that she wouldn't need to ferry so many souls, to see so many others hurting. But those things are never ending in humans, and would continue to live in humans no matter what.

"We underestimated that and no matter how much we'd absorbed, it just continued on in them…in your kind. And for our efforts, we had become bloodthirsty, angered, hateful demons. I suppose…part of the reason we hold such hatred for the human race, is because they are the reason Oujo-sama is stuck with her fate and can never escape from it, because the cycle of hatred in humans goes on. They are the reason she suffers so, the ones who make her watch such suffering and the times she's forced to send innocent souls to Hell."

Gaara watched mesmerized as his demon spoke, not knowing any of this. He was sure that no one knew this either.

"I envy Kyuubi-sama…trapped though he is in a container…at least it is with our Mistress," Shukaku sighed wistfully. "At least your body houses the spiritual body of Oujo at the moment."

"How does she come out…of me?" Gaara breathed, knowing this was the only chance he could have at answering his questions.

"Her power as Jigoku Shoujo is split, I think. Inside of you rests the spiritual body of Enma Ai, and when she comes out, she draws on your physical energy which solidifies her spiritual body so she can perform her duty. Her physical body as Enma Ai is being held in Hell, I suppose."

Gaara frowned. "What do you mean split? And what's this emphasis on Enma Ai?"

"There is a lot more going on than you know, gaki. But it is not for me to reveal. Now leave. I don't want to talk to you anymore."

Shukaku turned his head away from him, gazing far off into the deserts to his side. Gaara didn't know exactly how to leave and frowned even more, going closer to the bars. Shukaku's head snapped towards him, and in a blink was right in front of the bars, so close to him that he could see the madness that lurked in the demon's golden eyes and see the trembling lips of a muted snarl.

"Silly human, do you think that just because you are protected now and that I can't touch you, that I am not still a demon and thirst for your flesh and blood?" Shukaku cackled and tossed his head back, and Gaara threw himself back, the area around him shifting.

Blinking, he realized he was no longer in his head but in some sort of vision.

_A laptop was turned on in the main hall. The person typed in the website, watching as the error page appeared. When midnight appeared, the website was refreshed. A flame appeared in the middle of the screen before becoming smaller and blacking out the screen except for the infamous white box. The words 'We will exact your revenge' appeared on top of the box just like everyone said it would. _

_She said the name as she typed it in, her face glaring in hatred at the screen, "Sabaku no Kankuro."_

_She clicked on submit and the hourglass appeared and fizzled out. She waited patiently. _

"_You called."_

_Startled, Temari whipped around and gaped at Naruto._

"_Y-you're Jigoku Shoujo?"_

"_I am Enma Ai. Take this."_

_Naruto held out a black straw doll and Temari tentatively took it. Other than the conversation she overheard, she had no idea on what was going to happen. _

"_If you truly wish to eliminate your antagonist, you must pull the red string. He will be ferried immediately to Hell."_

_Temari was terrified of the prospect, but began building her resolve. _

"_However, once I have delivered the revenge, I must have you make restitution to me. When one person is cursed, two graves are dug. Your soul will also fall into Hell, forever wandering in pain and suffering. Well, that's after you die."_

"_I will also go to Hell?!" Temari gasped out in horror. _

_She wanted Kankuro to go to Hell. Her brother didn't really care for Gaara, never even tried to bring back their brother. Now Gaara was lost to them both. She should've tried harder, but Kankuro did nothing!_

"_I will wait. When the time comes, I will pull the string," she whispered._

Gaara awoke completely in horror, sweating profusely from the vision he'd seen. Looking outside, he saw it was nighttime and that he'd slept the day away.

It was strange, this vision though. The place Temari was in wasn't familiar to him, and he couldn't recall it anywhere in Suna. And there was also that she'd stated she'd wait, waiting for 'when the time comes.' As to what that could mean, he had no idea. He even had an insight and emphatic feel to her motive and a brief glimpse at her thoughts. Right then, he had to confront Temari now.

He pushed off the thin covers and placed the slightly warmer wet towel that had fallen off him to the side, inwardly wondering about it. Then he recalled that morning and winced, wondering instead where his father was and what he was up to.

Rushing out of his room, he practically stormed over to Temari's, startling her from her reverie. She looked like she had been lost in thought, her face serious and not as cocky or smug as usual. This wasn't the playful sister he knew her as. She was too solemn to be that biting, confident, sarcastic kunoichi that liked to tease everyone, family and friends lightly and opponents mockingly.

"Gaara, what are you doing in my room? Is there something you need?"

"Give it back to her," he practically hissed. "Give it back because you don't need it. Not over me."

"Give what back?" Temari asked in confusion.

"The straw doll!" he glared at her, even though his voice was worried and pleading.

"Gaara…did you think I contacted Jigoku Shoujo?" she connected the dots.

"You did. I saw you," he accused. "You want to send Kankuro to Hell because of me. Because you're upset at the way he treats me, at the way I am now and how the two of you didn't…help…me…" he trailed off, no longer as sure as he was earlier, and feeling stupid and wrong.

Temari smiled gently at him, an odd thing to see again, even more so from his sister. And yet, at the same time, he felt that it was normal in a way from her. Maybe he'd be more weirded out if it was Kankuro who had done it…

"No, Gaara. I swear I haven't gone to the Hell Correspondence website. Yes, I'm upset at Kankuro and I am angry at him for the way he acts towards you and for how we haven't been able to help you, or rather his lack of trying and my inability…but I promise you that I haven't gone there."

Everything about Temari screamed sincere, but then what about that vision? Perhaps it had been of the future, and he'd just headed it off. It had to be that, because nothing else would make sense with her response.

"Oh…gomen, Temari. Let's just go to dinner," Gaara muttered, inwardly embarrassed but showing nothing on the outside.

He led the way, missing the quick thoughtful look that crossed her face in his relief.

At the table, their father was strangely absent. It wasn't usual because he was always the first there. Kankuro trailed in after them, moving passed and ignoring them as he took a seat. Just as Gaara and Temari were about to go sit, there was a loud bang at the front and they heard some shuffling. Their father entered through the kitchen entrance, surprise flitting across his face at seeing them.

"It's dinnertime already?" he asked in shock.

He glanced down at his burdens before sighing to himself and setting them down to the side, juggling the stack of books along with the bag of scrolls at his side. Gaara moved his sand to steady his father's things, and Nagi nodded at him in brief thanks as he went back to putting his things down. The Kazekage looked at his stuff longingly before quickly going over to the sink and washing his hands, joining his family after.

The readied food was warm and ready for them, and each of them took their respective plates and filled them up.

This time, instead of Temari, Kankuro was the one to disrupt the quiet dinner.

"You know, I've been thinking. What with all of you obsessed with that stupid Jigoku Tsuushin thing going on, except Dad –thank God," Kankuro rolled his eyes, missing their father's slight awkward shift at that. "I just kind of thought of it with you all obsessed about the site. It's kind of a miracle that no one's sent Gaara to Hell with it, isn't it?" he said carelessly.

It went utterly quiet and no one spoke after that.

Gaara was staring at his brother wide-eyed, hands clenching onto the utensils in a grip that swore to indent them into his skin –_because oh God, oh God, this was something he'd always wondered and worried and thought about every day since finding out about Jigoku Shoujo and ishegoingtobesenttoHellalready? –_, so tight the things were threatening to break skin and spill blood. Temari looked at once horrified and furious at their brother. Their father had frozen in shock and stared at his oldest son in disbelief.

"Apologize to your brother right now, Kankuro," Nagi growled, his own hands clenching around his utensils. All three of his children stared at him in surprise, but he ignored that in favor of drilling a hole into his oldest son's head with his stare. "_Now_."

"But it's the truth!" Kankuro burst out, not understanding why his father was suddenly defending Gaara. But it wasn't like anyone ever focused on or spoke about Gaara before either, and he definitely hadn't. He wasn't sure what had changed, but he was suddenly sick of Gaara.

"Just do it, Meathead!" Temari hissed, looking like she wanted to stab Kankuro in the forehead with her fork.

"Why? He's just getting treated special, like always! It's always 'Boohoo, I'm a jinchuuriki. I'm all alone, why doesn't anyone like me?' He's being selfish as usual, not noticing he's not the only one with problems! It's just like when he was born and he was always getting spoiled and crap!"

Gaara's face paled even more than its usual shade, becoming sickly-like. He had no idea that any of his siblings would feel that way. He had realized he'd been spoiled when he was younger, though he'd only known about the material part, but he had no idea that it was still sort of true present day.

Temari shrieked in indignation and really did throw her fork at Kankuro with deadly accuracy. Kankuro dodged hastily, but it was a close call as the fork imbedded itself into the wall where his head had been.

"That's enough!" Nagi finally roared, standing up and slamming his hands on the table. Everything on the table jumped slightly, including the people, all of whom noted the deadly anger radiating from their father, who'd forced himself to quickly sit back down. "Kankuro, go to your room. You're to eat there. Temari, apologize and stay quiet through the rest of dinner."

"You're just still upset that Mom's gone! You never got over her death and since then you just shut people out! I heard some of the villagers talking yesterday –'Poor Kazekage-sama, never recovered from his wife's death.' Well guess what? Mom's gone, and she's been gone! Get over it!"

The silence that enveloped them then was worse than the quiet earlier, after Kankuro had callously spoken of Gaara potentially being sent to Hell.

Their father stared back at them with eyes wide from shock, before he looked confused and unsure of what to say. And then he just…looked lost. Nagi's chair screeched as he moved it back, looking around in a daze, his hands flitting about and uncertain of where to go. They settled on being placed slowly on the table in front of him, and then he stood up. For a moment, he just stood there, staring off with that lost look on his face. Then he just started walking away, leaving them behind quietly, having not spoken a word the entire time.

The kitchen door shut behind him ominously.

The reading material he'd been so eager to get back to lay forgotten on the floor, where Gaara's eyes flitted nervously to. He looked at Kankuro, whose face showed immediate regret and unhappiness at what had just happened, averting his eyes and avoiding looking at them. But Temari…

There was a look of cold fury on her face that brought a chill through him and had dread rising in him once more.

Started 8/23/11 –Completed 8/29/11

**A/n: Fun, fun, fun…Okay, maybe not fun for the Sand family, but it is for me. I feel bad I'm making them all miserable and angry at each other…Sort of XD Please review! It means a lot when you all do! Just take a little second…**


	5. Friends

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or even the idea of Jigoku Shoujo.  
Story: Madara managed to one up Jigoku Shoujo, but that doesn't mean Naruto will let him win. With Hell on her side, she's determined to make Akatsuki pay their dues a second time. And somehow, Gaara and the Sabaku clan get stuck in the middle of it all.  
Set as an AU.  
Spoilers: Hai, for both Jigoku Shoujo and Naruto.  
Warnings: Violence, language, etc.  
Pairings: I don't know. I don't really think it'll be the main part anyway.

**Jigoku Shoujo: Rengoku Suna  
**_Chapter Four: Tomodachi (Friends)_

"Trouble's stirring," Itachi commented.

Sasori nodded, glancing out the window to where he could see the Kazekage Residence. His eyes darkened briefly before he slightly changed the direction of his look, gazing at the area which housed the Kazekage and his family.

He sighed and continued watching it, wondering what Ai was doing in Sabaku no Gaara and how Nagi was. He missed Karura and Baki as well, though most of his thoughts centered around his Mistress.

"There's a lot more Hell Sendings going on around Suna than the last time around…actually, just the increase of them here at all is a bit surprising. When I was younger and still here, while there were certainly probably a decent amount of people sending others to Hell in Suna, the frequency and amount never amounted to what is going on now. It was always Konoha that had been plagued by Jigoku Tsuushin."

"My village's cursed. I don't think Konoha ever had a chance. We were probably damned from the beginning," Itachi noted calmly.

"Might have to do with its history," and the two went quiet at that, remembering their Mistress's beginnings.

"Madara's sent out the order through Pein. No one is to contact Ai-sama. He's made it forbidden for anyone in the organization to utilize Jigoku Tsuushin," Sasori continued, changing the subject.

Itachi made an uncharacteristic grunt. "It will work for awhile…but we might still be able to fool some of the others again."

Sasori made a noncommittal noise. "Deidara will fall for it and Hidan will be more than happy, especially when he learns that he missed the opportunity to meet Jashin the first time around. He'll have someone send him to Hell straight after. I'm not sure about the others, though your partner might be an easy sell."

Itachi frowned. "Maybe not too easy. It'll depend. But the two you mentioned will definitely be the more easier targets. For now, we'll focus on helping Ai-sama and the Sabaku clan then?"

"Yes. I wonder who else retains their memories, like ourselves," Sasori murmured.

"I'll think we'll find out soon," Itachi muttered, getting a gut feeling.

As they talked, the acting Raikage stared out of his window unhappily. He, too, remembered the past –or rather the future. Begrudgingly, he was back in this place when he'd already left and had been happily by his princess' side. Wakasori Reiji will be leaving Kumo much earlier than the last time.

"Raikage-sama?" he glanced over and offered a smile to the young woman uncertainly hovering near his door.

"Yugito. Is there something you need?"

"I was going to return this book. You asked for it back, Raikage-sama," she handed over a familiar, worn book. "I'd wanted to read it a little bit more, even though I finished it, but if you want it…"

He reached out and touched it fondly, before shaking his head.

"No…no…it's alright, Yugito. I think you should keep it," then he turned his distracted attention back through the window. "How are your uncles, Yugito?"

"Rowdy as always," she answered wryly, though she turned concerned, seeing his odd behavior. "…Raikage-sama…is there something the matter?"

"…I'm thinking of retiring early. I'm only acting Raikage until your uncle finally wishes to take the hat, but he's taking awhile to decide he wants the responsibility. I think I shall force the decision on him now."

"But then what are you planning to do? Where are you planning to go?" Yugito asked worriedly.

"I'm going to look for a woman," he murmured.

"A…woman?" she asked confused.

"No, not just any woman," and then he glanced at the book in her hand and sighed.

She blinked before her eyes widened in understanding.

"I…I see. Good luck then, Raikage-sama. I understand and hope you find her," Yugito said solemnly.

He nodded. "You may call me Reiji, Yugito. I am no longer going to be your Raikage."

"H-hai, Reiji-sama…These…these visions…" she trailed off.

Reiji looked at her gravely. "Shibata Tsugumi was haunted by them as well. You must stay strong and continue to watch, and know that this is what _she_ has seen as time passes by."

"She must be so sad," Yugito said, sorrowed herself.

"She is," he said quietly. "She cannot show it clearly, at least not all the time nowadays, but her heart breaks each time an innocent soul goes to Hell."

He stood up and walked around her, going to leave.

"Goodbye, Reiji-sama," she whispered, clutching the book to her chest.

He paused at the doorway before giving a near silent hum of fondness, and then leaving.

This time around, he could not bring her with him.

And as these conversations were happening, the Sabaku family was still in disarray. Temari had shut herself in her room and Kankuro had done the same. Gaara had gathered his father's things and hesitantly traveled to his father's room. He was not in there, so he went to his private office, shivering at seeing his father curled on his side across the couch that was against the wall and at the far side of the room.

"Otou-san?" Gaara quietly called out.

His father only blindly fumbled for his saucer full of saké and nearly chugged it down, pouring another round without care. The haunting tune of the rejuvenated music box played and echoed through the room, the only thing distilling the silence in the dark office.

Gaara dropped his father's things near the desk and slowly made his way to his father's side, hand hovering in the air and unsure whether to reach out and touch his father or put his hand back down to his side. His father was the only one who actually offset him and that he'd maybe feared a little, so he really had no idea on how to handle this situation.

"I loved your mother. I really did," his father slurred, suddenly speaking up and startling him. "The truth is…Karura and I grew apart. We were young and in love, and we got married young. We were being hasty; just two rash and impetuous kids who thought forever meant _forever_. During the war, we just…fell out of love. Temari was actually the only child conceived out of love, you know. Kankuro was conceived so that our family would have an heir, because clan laws in Suna dictate that a male must inherit so Temari couldn't be it. You were conceived because neither of them were compatible or capable of hosting Shukaku.

"It didn't mean we didn't _love_ the three of you," Nagi continued, still lying down haphazardly on the couch and not moving. "It was why we stayed together, despite not being in love anymore. The two of us still cared for each other and we loved you and Temari and Kankuro. God, we loved you so much. This place just keeps taking everything from me. I fucking hate this place so much. Sometimes I just want to fucking drown myself," Nagi ended darkly muttering to himself, so out of it Gaara was sure his father was no longer speaking to him at the end.

Gaara tentatively finally reached out and gently touched his father's shoulder. Nagi slightly moved his head and blearily blinked at him in the dark room, hand slowly reaching to grab his son's hand. And then he was tugging Gaara closer and becoming a sobbing mess, crying into his son's shoulder and clutching onto him desperately.

"I tried. I really _tried_. I tried so _hard _to save your mother, I swear I did, but it was too late for Karura. You were so _tiny_ and I could just hold you in the palm of my hand, and God, Karura was just happy to be able to see you at least one time before she passed on."

Gaara sort of froze in shock, just listening and not knowing what to do. He slowly wrapped his own arms around his still grieving, drunk father.

"I know I spoiled you. I hadn't really thought I was at the time though. I felt so guilty. I lost your mother and I failed in saving her and I had already practically given you up as the village's. I thought it was the least I could do, giving you whatever you wanted and I could give. I didn't know how else to make it up to you. But I couldn't even see you much less be near you –I was still grieving for your mother and you were like a constant reminder of my failures to her and to you. And Temari and Kankuro suffered as well because I didn't want to shower them with affection when I couldn't do the same for you.

"Everything was so messed up. It still is. I'm so sorry, Gaara. I love you. Your mother loved you. Please forgive me for everything," his father hung his head and started crying uncontrollably again, and Gaara was still at a lost.

First, he moved the saké bottle away, what with his father already out of it as he was and no need to make it even worse. Then he slowly pushed his father back on the couch and tried to move away, but Nagi had him in a vice grip, mumbling incoherently to himself. So Gaara resigned himself to lying passively on his father, who hugged him to him desperately. He tentatively returned the embrace.

"I've never hit you, right Gaara? Or the others. I swore to God I wouldn't be like that man. Tell me I never hit you. Maybe in training I was a little heavy-handed and strict…but I never _took out my anger on you, right_? I promised myself I wouldn't be like my father, that I would never raise a hand to any of you…that I would never lay a hand on my children like he did. Oh God, please tell me I never did…"

Gaara shook his head slightly, blinking back tears.

"No, Otou-san. I promise you didn't…though maybe you could go a little lighter on training," he lightly joked, hoping his father's mood would lighten up.

His father just sniffed and buried his face into Gaara's hair, still crying. His father passed out that way and Gaara lay awake and thinking, falling asleep unhappily after a little while.

The next morning, he found himself tucked into his own bed. Groggily getting up, he reluctantly started to get ready for the day. He yawned, shoving a shirt on after his shower, glancing at his desk where he took a double take. There was his father's precious music box. Picking up the note beside it, he read it in growing happiness.

_Thought you might like to have it._

He whirled it up, hearing the sweet tune playing, just as haunting as ever. He blinked when he saw a small latch at the front, and he flicked it open with a slight smile, opening it to see that the music box also was made to house a pretty pendant, carved delicately from wood. It was shaped to be like a _temari_, a hand-woven thread ball. There were floral decorations neatly carved into it, surrounding the pendant and of a specific flower…one that looked sort of familiar to him, for some reason.

He hesitantly picked it up and wore it around his neck, liking the feel of it on him and feeling right somehow. He looked back at the music box, only to have another surprise in the form of a picture taped to the bottom of the lid. There was his mother and father in the middle, Baki on his mother's side, and an unfamiliar red-head smiling coolly from his father's other side. Deciding to ask his father about him later, he hurried up and rushed out of his home.

When he was in the Academy, he again sat in the back and thought it was going to be just a normal day. He was inwardly surprised to see Sari and Matsuri shyly come near him.

"Hey, Gaara-kun. Is it alright if we sit next to you today?" Sari asked with a friendly smile.

Eying them suspiciously, he gave a short nod before focusing on the front of the classroom. The two girls started talking about some performer named Moriyama Jun.

"How about you, Gaara-kun? Do you like her?" Sari asked him, Matsuri bashfully looking at him for an answer as well.

Surprised again that they were not only talking to him but asking for his input, he racked his brain trying to remember if he knew who they were talking about.

"Gomen, I don't know who she is," Gaara apologized quietly.

Sari's eyes widened and she excitedly hunched closer. "Eh, Gaara-kun, really? No way! Here, here. You can listen to her on my music player before the teacher comes."

She offered a set of headphones and he hesitantly looked at the girls. Sari was still grinning widely and Matsuri offered a small, reassuring smile. Accepting the headphones awkwardly, he placed them in his ears and she started playing.

It wasn't…bad. This Jun could sing well and she had a pretty voice, and the songs were kind of catchy. He even bobbed his head slightly at times. Matsuri showed him a picture of the singer, and she looked as pretty as her voice sounded.

When the teacher came, he disappointedly handed the headphones back. Even if it was for a little bit, it had been nice to be sharing with other kids his age like that…

At lunch, he calmly gathered his stuff, and continued to be surprised when the two girls he'd sat with turned to him again.

"Gaara-kun, do you want to come with us to get lunch?" Matsuri asked, her face strangely growing red.

Still awkward, he said yes in a quiet voice. The two girls weirdly went on either side of him and took an arm each, leading him out. At the bazaar, they all got something to eat and Gaara was suddenly reminded of something he'd wanted to do at lunch.

"Gomen nasai, but there was something I'd wanted to do now," Gaara tried to excuse himself.

"We'll come with you!" Sari said cheerfully.

Confused at the girls, he inwardly shrugged and led the way to a familiar electronics store. Inside, the place looked cleaned up, though there was no sign of Mitsuko. Anxious at that, he called out to her.

"Mitsuko-chan? Mitsuko-chan, are you here?"

"Ah, Gaara-kun, is that you?" he was relieved to see her come out from the door that attached the store to her home. "What are you doing here? Isn't it still time for you to be in the Academy?" she gave him a kind smile, like always.

He blushed, giving an unsure smile.

"Aa, but it's lunchtime now. I wanted…to check up on you and see if you were okay," he murmured.

Mitsuko's smile widened. "You are so sweet! Hai, I'm okay. Especially now," her smile turned sad. He hid his flinch. "Ne, Gaara-kun, who are these two pretty girls you have with you? Are _both_ of them your _girlfriends_?" her voice turned into a teasing, conspiratorial voice.

Gaara scrunched up his nose, ignoring the slight blush forming on his face. The two girls beside him were freely blushing, and quietly giggling to each other.

"Iie. This is Sari-san and Matsuri-san from my class," Gaara introduced them.

"Konnichiwa!" both girls greeted loudly, bowing politely.

"Hello, I'm Yamaoka Mitsuko. I own this shop," she smiled back at them.

"Anou, I wanted to come here and give this to you too," Gaara rummaged around in his backpack, pulling two ham and cheese sandwiches housed in sandwich bags out.

Mitsuko laughed lightly in delight, taking them and giving him a kiss on his forehead in return, ruffling his hair afterwards.

"Arigato, Gaara-kun. That's very kind of you. Now, the three of you better hurry back. Lunch is ending soon," she warned them. "And tell your father thank you for sending over a ninja to help clean up!"

They nodded to her and excused themselves, starting to walk their way back.

"Gaara-kun, you call that pretty lady 'Mitsuko-chan'! You can call me Sari-chan too! And Matsuri is 'Matsuri-chan'!" Sari pouted, her arms crossed behind her head.

Gaara blushed again, still confused about that day and the girls.

"Why are you two being so nice to me?" Gaara asked with a frown.

"Eh, Gaara-kun? Why not?" Sari blinked. Matsuri watched from her side.

"You never bothered to before. So why now?" he pointed out.

The two girls were quiet before once again Sari spoke first.

"Well…we kind of never noticed you before," she said gently. "You were always kind of quiet and kept to yourself. Then that day with Itsuko…well, when I saw you, it kind of brought you to attention, you know. And we started paying more attention to you and noticing you since then. We noticed that you kind of seem…"

"Lonely," Matsuri finished. "You always seemed kind of lonely and just…alone."

"But that changes now!" Sari said boisterously, pulling up her sleeve and pumping her fist in the air. "Because Matsuri-chan and Sari-chan now are here! And we're going to be your friends!" she declared loudly, without even asking him.

Matsuri nodded emphatically and Gaara was kind of overwhelmed.

"F-friends?" he asked uncertainly.

"Hai, hai!" the two girls grinned at him and practically kidnapped an arm each again.

"Back to the torture chamber!" Sari said dramatically.

And they began frog marching him back to the Academy, with a small smile playing on his lips.

Friends, huh…it was a nice thought…

It was nice to finally have friends.

* * *

He went home dazed but happy. He had two friends now, three if Mitsuko counted. His father gave him his precious music box, he had a nice pendant that he really liked, and he had a new picture of his mother…with Dad, and the two of them looked really happy. Today was actually really nice for him.

"Otou-san! You're early," he noted, seeing his father already in his private office, pouring over familiar scrolls and books. His eyes darkened at seeing them. "Otou-san…"

"Oh, Gaara –you're home already," Nagi looked up quickly and gave him a tired smile. "How was your day?"

"It was actually nice," Gaara surprised him. "I made two friends. Their names are Sari and Matsuri, and they're really nice to me. I checked up on Mitsuko-chan and she's…better. She said thank you for sending over a ninja to help clean up the store."

Nagi nodded, smiling. "I'm glad you made friends as well."

"Otou-san, who is that man beside you in the picture taped inside the music box? The other red-head," Gaara suddenly asked.

Nagi stopped what he was doing, freezing up. His father sighed and ran a hand down his face, leaning back in his chair wearily.

"I see…so you've seen the picture already. He's an old friend of mine…a very close friend," Nagi smiled sadly to himself. "His name is Sasori."

Gaara's eyes widened.

"Yes, that very same Sasori –Sasori of the Red Sands. I was his sempai and he had been very close to myself and your mother. I still regret that I had to label him as a missing-nin all these years," he murmured. "I don't know what happened. I don't understand why he just left…"

Unsure of what to say, Gaara only nodded and patted his father's hand in comfort. He changed the subject to the scrolls lying around.

"I saw them when I was picking them up for you last night," Gaara muttered. "Please, Otou-san. You promised me you wouldn't look into her."

Nagi winced. "No, Gaara. I didn't promise anything. I just…Look, I promise I won't pry into what's happening with you…but I refuse to stop my own research. I just need to…to understand and help for your sake, but for some reason I just need to."

Gaara swallowed harshly, but nodded reluctantly.

"Alright, Otou-san. I'll…be in my room," Gaara briefly gave a hug that made his father happy before he left and locked his room, sitting with a frown at his desk. He wound up his new music box and set it down, opening the box to stare at the picture as he lay his head down on his arms. His eyes stared at his happy parents for a long time before trailing to Sasori, inwardly wondering about him.

The pendant pressed against his chest and he held it up, gazing at it. He heard some rustling and his frown deepened, turning it upside down, only for a small piece of paper to slip out. Taking the folded piece of paper and unfolded it to read the small, unfamiliar script written on it.

_It's not finished. Finish it._

Started 9/2/11 –Completed 9/3/11

**A/n: Aw, almost to 5 reviews. How about this time? Please review!**


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